NORFOLK, Va. – A three-run eighth inning helped propel Coppin State's baseball team to its second-straight win over Norfolk State, 9-8 on Saturday afternoon at Marty Miller Field. With the win, the Eagles improved to 8-19 overall and 7-10 in the NEC while taking the series against the Spartans.
Trailing, 8-6, going into the eighth,
Brody Black recorded an RBI single to right field with the bases loaded while getting to third on a fielding error.
Daniel Moore, Angel Colon and
Braylon Watson all scored on the play.
Clay Thompson relieved
John Neeld after NSU's leadoff single and retired three-straight following a walk. He also struck out a pair in the ninth to pick up his second save of the season. Neeld picked up the win after allowing one run on four hits while striking out three in relief of
Alek Elges who gave up six runs and struck out a pair in 5.1 innings.
Coppin had just six base hits but took advantage of 13 walks and three hits batsman.
Anthony Divittorio drove in a pair of runs while going 1-for-3 with a walk and was also hit twice.
Damon Gaither and
Samuel Nieves also drove in runs, as did Black. Moore and Colon both drew three walks and combined to score five runs.
Nieves gave Coppin a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the first, driving in
Kai Holm, but Norfolk State came right back with two runs in the bottom half. The Spartans added to their lead with a run in the second. Both teams scored a run in the third before Coppin tied the score at four with a two-run fourth.
Moore started the inning with a walk before getting to second on a single by Colon. Black was hit by a pitch to load the bases before Divittorio was also plunked, giving Coppin its first run of the inning. Gaither later drew a walk to tie the score.
A sacrifice fly by Norfolk in the fourth gave them back the lead, which the Eagles matched in the fifth as Divittorio was once again hit by a pitch with the bases juiced.
Elges got three groundouts for a scoreless fifth and Coppin regained the lead with a run on a fielding error in the sixth. An error and two hits helped the Spartans score three in the sixth and take an 8-6 lead.
CSU wraps up its series with the Spartans with a 12 pm start on Sunday, April 14.
