HANOVER, Md. – Kaden Straily threw six strong innings and
Justin Ritz went the final three for the save, helping Coppin State's baseball team complete a three-game sweep of Maryland Eastern Shore with a 7-3 victory on Sunday at Joe Cannon Stadium. The Eagles improved to 7-22 overall and 5-7 in the NEC with the win.
Straily allowed just three runs on four hits while striking out four in 6.0 innings of work before Ritz tossed 3.0 scoreless innings, giving up just one hit while striking out three.
Indy Anderson had a 2-for-2 performance, scoring twice and drawing a pair of walks while
Daniel Moore also scored twice, going 1-for-3 with a pair of walks as well.
Jayden Asencio and
Bryce Thompson drove in a pair of runs apiece. The Eagles were very patient at the plate, drawing 12 free passes on the afternoon.
Thompson and
Pranav Sundar were walked and hit by a pitch in back-to-back at-bats with the bases loaded, allowing Anderson and
Gabe Breckenridge to score in the second, giving Coppin a 2-0 lead.
UMES tied the score at two with runs in the second and fourth before Thompson once again walked the bases juiced in the fifth. The Hawks tied the score once again at three in their half of the fifth before the Eagles retook the lead in the sixth as
Noah Hogan scored on a wild pitch.
Asencio added some insurance runs in the eighth with a two-run double to right center, scoring
Gavin Grutzmacher and Moore who drew walks earlier in the frame. Anderon, who singled and got to third on Asencio's base knock, scored on a groundout to second by
Jamar Whitehead.
The Hawks made a last-ditch effort in the ninth thanks to an error and a pair of hit batters, but Ritz sealed the win by forcing a flyout to center.
Coppin returns to the diamond for a three-game series on April 11-13 at Joe Cannon Stadium against Norfolk State.
