BALTIMORE – Coppin State's softball team blanked Delaware State, 9-0 in its home opener on Thursday afternoon at CSU Softball Complex. The Eagles improved to 8-11 overall and 3-1 in the MEAC while the Hornets fell to 7-12 on the year and 1-3 in league play.
Julianna Mejia drove in three runs with a sacrifice fly and a two-run double while Seryna Esparza and Giselle Ulloa drove in two runs apiece. Manaia Fonoti had a pair of hits, including a double, and scored twice.
Vanessa Carrizosa recorded her first shutout of the season, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out two in the complete game. Carrizosa retired 12 of the final 12 batters and just one Hornets player got into scoring position which came in the first inning.
Esparza put Coppin on the board in the first with a towering two-run shot over the fence in right field. Celeste Gonzales scored on the blast after a single to left before she stole second base.
Aniyah Haley extended the lead to 4-0 in the second with an RBI single to center field Mejia, who walked earlier in the inning scored from second, and an error also allowed Avianna Peterson to score all the way from first.
Ulloa and Mejia both added RBIs in the third to give Coppin a commanding six-run lead. Ulloa singled up the middle to bring in Fonoti, and Ulloa later scored on Mejia's sacrifice fly to deep center field.
Carrizosa fielded her position brilliantly in the fourth, fielding three groundouts to retire the side, and after a 1-2-3 fifth, the Eagles run-ruled the Hornets with three runs in the bottom half.
Fonoti started the inning with a double down the left field line and she'd later score as Esparza and Ulloa reached on back-to-back fielding errors to make it a 7-0 ballgame. Brooklyn Tapusoa reached on a fielder's choice and stole second to put two runners in scoring position before Mejia's walk-off double over the head of the center fielder.
The Eagles host Delaware State in a 2 pm doubleheader on Friday, March 22 at 2:00 pm.
