STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Sam Nieves went 3-for-5 with a home run but Coppin State's baseball team fell at Wagner, 9-3, in NEC action on Saturday afternoon at SIUH Community Park. The Eagles fell to 3-9 overall and 2-3 in league play while the Seahawks improved to 6-12 on the year and 5-0 in the NEC.
Nieves also scored twice and drove in one, but only
Damon Gaither and
Angel Colon added base hits for Coppin. Gaither and
Bryce Thompson also drew three walks apiece while Colon and
Daniel Moore walked once each.
Alek Elges allowed seven runs over 5.0 innings in the loss before
John Neeld gave up two over the next 2.1 innings.
Clay Thompson retired both batters he faced in the eighth.
Coppin got on the board first when Colon drove in Nieves with an RBI single through the left side. Nieves had a one-out single before stealing second and getting to third on a flyout.
Three hits by Wagner helped them score three in the bottom of the second, and the Seahawks added three runs in the fourth and one in the fifth to take a 7-1 lead.
Nieves led off the sixth with a home run and
Anthony Divittorio drove in another with a fielder's choice to cut the deficit to 7-3.
Neeld got through the sixth unscathed and faced the minimum in the seventh with a pair of strikeouts before Wagner got two insurance runs in the eighth.
Coppin and Wagner close out their season at 12:00 pm on Sunday, March 17.
