HANOVER, Md. – Indy Anderson and
Jamar Whitehead both hit grand slams during a nine-run sixth inning, leading Coppin State's baseball team to a 16-6 victory over Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday afternoon at Joe Cannon Stadium. The Eagles moved to 6-22 on the season and 4-7 in the NEC with its second-straight win over the Hawks (4-24, 3-11 NEC).
Anderson closed the day, going 4-for-4, finishing a triple shy of the cycle with two runs scored and six RBI along with his first home run of the season. He reached base safely on all six of his plate appearances while being hit by a pitch twice. Whitehead finished with five RBI, recording a pair of hits and scoring twice.
Gavin Grutzmacher and
Pranav Sundar also had multi-hit days, combining for five runs, four walks and a couple RBI as Sundar also slugged his first home run of the season. Coppin tallied 14 base hits on the day and also drew 11 walks.
Luke Corcoran earned the win in relief of
Jobe Olson who threw the first 3.0 innings while allowing a pair of earned runs. Corcoran pitched the next 4.0 innings and gave up just three runs on six hits.
Isaiah Licorish closed the game with a pair of strikeouts in the final inning.
Coppin trailed by two after the first but quickly tied the score on an RBI single by Sundar along with a groundout by Whitehead which drove in
Anthony Divittorio. In the third, Divittorio gave the Eagles their first lead of the game with a two-run single to right, driving in Grutzmacher and
Daniel Moore.
Both teams scored a run in the fourth and the Hawks tied the score with a run in the fifth before Coppin's nine-run sixth. UMES walked the bases loaded before Anderson cleared the bases with one swing, giving the Eagles a 9-5 lead. After three more walks, Whitehead once again blasted a shot over the fence for the second grand slam of the frame.
Anderson was plunked with the bases loaded later in the inning for the ninth run of the frame, extending the lead to 14-5.
The Hawks managed a run in their half of the sixth before Coppin sealed the win with a solo home run by Sundar in the seventh and a balk in the eighth which scored Grutzmacher after a leadoff double and a groundout.
The series concludes on Sunday, April 6 with a 1 pm first pitch at Joe Cannon Stadium.
