BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Braylon Watson had three hits and three RBI and Coppin State's baseball team outhit league-leading Sacred Heart, but the Eagles fell to the Pioneers, 18-9 in game one of a three-game Northeast Conference series on Friday afternoon at Veterans Park. The Eagles fell to 5-17 overall and 4-9 in the NEC while SHU improved to 14-12 on the year and 11-2 in league play.
A freshman from Frisco, Texas, Watson took advantage of the start by going 3-for-5 on the day while also scoring a run and stealing a base. CSU leading hitter
Damon Gaither added a pair of doubles, three runs scored and a walk while
Sam Nieves went 2-for-4 with a run, an RBI and a walk. The trio had seven of the team's 11 hits while the Pioneers had just ten hits.
Nico Felber (1-5) struck out six over 5.0 innings but allowed six runs on five hits while walking seven.
Liam McCallum and
Brandon Stephens both gave up five runs over the next two-plus innings with a combined nine walks before
Michael Matthews retired the final two batters with a pair of walks while not issuing a walk.
After a scoreless first, Sacred Heart scored five runs over the next two innings before
Chris Marte drove in a run on a fielder's choice in the fourth. Felber escaped trouble in the bottom half of the inning but the Pioneers extended their lead to 8-1 with a three-run fifth.
Coppin broke through in the sixth with five runs on six hits and an error to pull within two runs. Gaither got it started with a leadoff double and got to third on a single by Nieves.
Jayden Asencio drove in Gaither win a single, and both he and Nieves scored on a two-run single by Watson through the right side.
Daniel Moore followed with a sac bunt which prompted a two-run single by
Anthony Divittorio to make it an 8-6 score.
McCallum started the sixth on the mound and was charged with a pair of runs, but Coppin got both runs back in the seventh on another RBI single by Watson. Watson stole second and the throw was wild which allowed
Angel Colon to score from third.
Sacred Heart added to their lead, making it 13-8 with a three-run seventh. Nieves followed Gaither's two-out double with a single to score the 6-foot-6 first baseman but the Pioneers sealed the game with five runs in the bottom half.
The same two teams will meet on Saturday, April 6 in a 1 pm first pitch.
