BALTIMORE – Brissa Alvarado slugged a three-run homer in game one of a doubleheader but Coppin State's softball team dropped a pair of games to MEAC rival Norfolk State on Saturday afternoon at CSU Softball Complex. The Eagles fell in the opener, 7-3, before dropping the nightcap, 7-0.
Alvarado went 2-for-2 with three RBI and a walk in the first game and her three-run home run in the third inning cut Norfolk State's lead to 5-3.
Shawnee Ronyak, who relieved
Vanessa Carrizosa in the circle after two innings, tossed a scoreless fourth but the Eagles were unable to capitalize.
Norfolk State added a pair of insurance runs in the fifth to extend its lead to 7-3 before Ronyak faced the minimum over the final two innings, keeping the game in reach.
Avianna Peterson and
Alexis Genovese also had base hits in the opener while Carrizosa took the loss by allowing four runs to start the game. Ronyak threw the final 5.0 innings and gave up just two runs while striking out five.
The Spartans put three runs on the board to start game two but Carrizosa threw a scoreless second before NSU tacked on another run in the third. Baserunning blunders prevented Coppin from possibly scoring in the first two innings and Coppin left five runners stranded the rest of the way.
Carrizosa gave up just four runs in the first 6.0 innings before Ronyak was credited with just one run in the final inning.
Six different Eagles players recorded a base hit in game two with Genovese connecting for a double.
Coppin and Norfolk State will close out the three-game series on Sunday, April 3 in a 12 pm first pitch.
