PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – Coppin State's softball team split a doubleheader from Maryland Eastern Shore in the MEAC opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon. The Eagles (6-9, 1-1) won game one, 6-4, before falling in the nightcap, 8-4.
Game 1: Coppin State def. MD Eastern Shore, 6-4
Aniyah Haley was one of six Eagles to record a base hit but had a big three-run triple in the second inning.
Seryna Esparza doubled and drew two walks while
Brooklyn Tapusoa also tripled and drove in a run.
Vanessa Carrizosa went the distance in the circle, allowing three runs on seven hits with three strikeouts in seven innings.
Manaia Fonoti and Esparza combined for a double steal of home and second base, respectively, scoring the first run of the game in the top of the first. Fonoti stole three bases in the opening game.
Carrizosa faced the minimum in the first before Haley gave the Eagles a 4-0 lead in the second, clearing the bases with a triple which scored
Julianna Mejia, Xzylia Maravilla and
Celeste Gonzales.
The Hawks got on the board with three runs in the third, but Coppin got two runs back in the sixth on an RBI triple by Tapusoa, followed by Mejia's sacrifice fly to center field.
UMES cut the deficit to 6-4, and after Coppin failed to capitalize in the seventh with three runners on base, Carrizosa got a 1-2-3 seventh to pick up the win.
Game 2: MD Eastern Shore def. Coppin State, 8-4
Coppin outhit UMES, 12-9, in game two, getting three hits from Fonoti and two-hit games from Gonzales, Esparza,
Giselle Ulloa and Tapusoa. Tapusoa doubled twice and drove in a run; Esparza added a double and Ulloa tripled while scoring twice and driving in two.
Emily Quintero gave up seven earned runs in 5.1 innings while striking out three before Carrizosa retired the side in the sixth.
Eastern Shore scored twice in the first before Coppin scored four unanswered runs with one in the second on a sacrifice bunt. The Eagles took the lead with a three-run second with Ulloa driving in a pair with a triple to left, scoring Fonoti and Esparza. Tapusoa followed right up with a double, easily scoring Ulloa to give CSU a 4-2 advantage.
The Hawks tied the score with two runs in the bottom half of the inning before taking the lead with a run in the fifth before tacking on three more in the sixth.
Up Next: Coppin and Maryland Eastern Shore will close out the series on Sunday, March 17 in a 12:00 pm start.
