HAMPTON, Va. – Coppin State's softball team won its third-straight game with victories over Wagner and Hampton on Saturday afternoon at the Pirates' Battle at the Bay Tournament. The Eagles (3-1) rallied to defeat the Seahawks, 8-6, before besting Hampton, 3-2 in an 11-inning thriller.
This is Coppin's best start through it's first four games since the 2013 season when it also went 3-1.
Coppin State def. Wagner, 8-6
Both teams were held in check in the first inning before Wagner got on the board first with five runs in the second. Coppin came right back with three runs in the bottom half of the inning, starting the frame with four-straight hits.
Seryna Esparza led off with a triple before scoring the first run on a single by
Giselle Ulloa. A double by
Brooklyn Tapusoa scored Ulloa and Tapusoa scored as
Emily Quintero, who singled just prior, stole second.
Quintero, who went the distance in the circle, tossed a scoreless third before giving up a run in the fourth to make it a 6-3 score. She escaped trouble in the sixth without giving up a run which turned out to be huge as the Eagles erupted for five runs in the bottom of the frame to take their first lead of the game.
Manaia Fonoti led off the inning with a single, and back-to-back walks to Esparza and Ulloa loaded the bases. Tapusoa cut the deficit to one with a two-run double before Quintero followed up with a two-run single to give Coppin a 7-6 lead.
Following a fielding error,
Celeste Gonzales added an insurance run with a sacrifice fly to centerfield, driving in Quintero.
Allowing a leadoff single in the seventh, Quintero retired the next three batters to earn her first collegiate win.
Tapusoa and Quintero both had a pair of hits and combined for five RBI and three runs while Esparza added two hits, two runs and a walk. Ulloa scored twice while going 1-for-3 with an RBI and a walk.
Quintero was charged with just two earned runs on eight hits while striking out one in the complete game.
Coppin State def. Hampton, 3-2
In a low scoring affair, Coppin got on the board first with an RBI triple to the gap in right center by
Aniyah Haley which scored Gonzales.
Vanessa Carrizosa got the nod on the rubber for the Eagles and she retired the first seven batters of the game and did not allow a run until the bottom of the seventh. Hampton got a one-out single and tied the score with a two-out double and the batter was thrown out at third to end the inning.
With the international tiebreaker rule in effect to start the eighth, Gonzales scored from third on a sac bunt by Fonoti, but the Pirates matched it with a sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the inning.
Coppin left the bases loaded in the ninth while Hampton stranded two and neither team got anything going in the tenth.
Fonoti was placed on second to start the 11
th and Esparza drove her in with a double to left center.
Carrizosa was able to hold Hampton in check in its half of the inning, getting a groundout and a flyout to end the game.
Ulloa was the only Eagles player with multiple hits in the game while Haley, Esparza and
Leslie Sereno reaching twice with base hits and a walk apiece. Gonzales scored twice in the game.
Carrizosa tossed all 11.0 innings for the Eagles, giving up one earned run on eight hits.
Up Next: Coppin returns to the diamond on February 23-24 with a three-game series at North Carolina A&T. The Eagles will play at 1:00 pm on Friday followed by a 1:00 pm doubleheader on Saturday afternoon.
