NORFOLK, Va. – Coppin State's softball team defeated #6 Maryland Eastern Shore in an opening round game before besting No. 2 Howard, 6-4 in a ten-inning thriller to open the MEAC Tournament on Wednesday at NSU Softball Field. The Eagles have matched a program-record with 22 victories on the season and will take on #4 N.C. Central at 6 pm on Thursday, May 9, in a matchup of two unbeaten teams in Tournament play.
Game 1: #3 Coppin State def. #6 Maryland Eastern Shore, 13-6
Seryna Esparza went 3-for-3 with a run scored, a home run, three RBI and a walk while
Aniyah Haley had a double and a triple while driving in four and scoring twice.
Celeste Gonzales doubled in her lone at-bat while scoring and walking twice and driving in a run.
Juliana Mejia and
Leslie Sereno also had multi-hit games and combined to score five runs.
Emily Quintero went the distance on the mound, allowing five runs in 7.0 innings.
The Hawks scored twice in the top of the first but Esparza went deep for the sixth time this season, blasting a shot over the center field fence to score Gonzales and tie the score at two after one.
Coppin took its first lead in the second as Mejia scored on a wild pitch and Haley drove in another with a sacrifice fly to give CSU a 4-2 advantage.
Maryland Eastern Shore scored twice in the third to tie it back up before Gonzales gave CSU back the lead at 5-4 with a sac fly in the fourth.
A two-run single by the Hawks gave them the lead once again in the fifth before Coppin erupted for seven runs in the bottom half of the inning. Esparza and
Giselle Ulloa had back-to-back singles to start the inning and Mejia drew a walk to load the bases. Sereno tied the score at six with an RBI single, and following a popup, Haley cleared the bases with a three-run triple to right, giving the Eagles a 9-6 lead.
Following a pitching change, Gonzales doubled down the left field line, scoring Haley, before back-to-back hits from
Manaia Fonoti and Esparza brought in two more.
Xzylia Maravilla tacked on another run for Coppin in the sixth with an RBI single before Quintero sealed the win with a 1-2-3 seventh.
CSU's 13 runs helped the Eagles set single-season school records for runs, runs batted in and total bases to go along with the doubles record they set earlier in the season.
Game 2: #3 Coppin State def. #2 Howard, 6-4 (10 innings)
Celeste Gonzales, Manaia Fonoti and
Giselle Ulloa all had multi-hit games with Gonzales going 2-for-2 with three runs and three walks. Fonoti and
Seryna Esparza had two RBI apiece and
Aniyah Haley scored twice.
MEAC Pitcher of the Year
Vanessa Carrizosa threw all 10.0 innings, allowing four runs on ten hits and striking out three.
Howard scored two in the bottom of the first and it remained on top before Coppin tied the score on a two-run double by Fonoti in the third. Haley and Gonzales scored on the play after reaching on a fielder's choice and a walk, respectively.
Esparza gave CSU its first lead of the game in the fifth with a two-run single up the middle, driving in Gonzales and Fonoti after they had walked and singled with a throw advancing both into scoring position.
Howard cut CSU's lead to 4-3 with a run in the fifth and tied the score in the seventh after Carrizosa got a 1-2-3 sixth.
Both teams went scoreless in the eighth and ninth before a lighting delay halted the game temporarily with Haley leading off the tenth. Following the delay, Haley drew a walk after being behind 1-2. Gonzales laid down a bunt between the pitcher, catcher and third baseman, and with Haley running to third, the third baseman's throw to the bag was wild and allowed both Haley and Gonzales to round all the bases.
Coppin continued to threaten but was unable to add any additional insurance.
Howard's first two batters were retired but the Bison made it interesting with a double and a single which put the tying run on base. Carrizosa was able to retire the side as Fonoti threw out the final batter from short.
