COLUMBIA, Md. – Coppin State pitchers
Jordan Hamberg and
Rashad Ruff combined to strikeout a school-record 18 batters in a 4-2 victory over Maryland Eastern Shore on Sunday morning at Blandair Park. The Eagles improve to 21-25 on the year and lead the MEAC with an 17-11 record in league play.
Hamberg had himself a day on both sides the diamond, striking out 12 batters in 6.0 innings of work while allowing just two runs on five hits. A sophomore from South Plainfield, N.J., and a candidate for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award, Hamberg also went 3-for-4 with his team-leading eighth home run of the season, and two RBI.
En route to his fourth game with at least ten strikeouts, Hamberg struck out the side in each of the first two innings and punched out two more Hawks in the fourth and sixth innings.
Ruff got the victory, retiring all nine batters he faced in the final 3.0 innings and striking out six. A sophomore from Moreno Valley, Calif., Ruff struck out the side in the seventh, one in the eighth and two in the ninth.
Hamberg put Coppin on the board with a blast over the fence in center field that the wind was unable to hold in. He later gave the Eagles a 2-0 lead in the third with an RBI single to drive in
Landen Argabright who had singled and got to second on
Wellington Balsley's single.
Maryland Eastern Shore scored both of its runs to tie the score in the fifth as they loaded the bases with nobody out. A single scored two runs but a double play was also recorded before Hamberg struck out the final batter of the inning.
The Eagles took the lead for good in the eighth, first with an RBI single from
Sebastien Sarabia to drive in Balsley for the go-ahead run. Balsley led off the frame with a walk before being sacrificed to second and advancing to third as Hamberg hit behind him to second. Sarabia scored an insurance run on a double from
Tyler Lloyd.
Castillo also had a multi-hit game for CSU, going 2-for-3 with a walk while Balsley had a base hit and drew a walk.
Coppin plays a midweek non-conference tilt at Towson on Wednesday, May 4 at 3 pm prior to a for-game MEAC series against Delaware State on May 6-8.
