HANOVER, Md. – Coppin State's baseball team was unable to hold on to a three-run lead as it fell to La Salle, 8-7, on Sunday afternoon at Joe Cannon Stadium. The Eagles fell to 0-7 overall while the Explorers moved to 8-2.
Angel Garcia and
Marcus Sanders had two hits apiece while
Noah Hogan and
Armando (AJ) Hurtado drove in two runs each to lead the Eagles offensively. Sanders also drove in a run while recording a double while Hogan tripled.
Nicco Holland went 4.1 innings on the mound in the starting nod while allowing two runs on three hits and striking out five. After
Keith Wallace retired a batter,
Mekenna Wakakuwa gave up four runs over the next 1.1 innings.
Abel Ortiz also retired a batter before
Justin Ritz and
Brandon Stephens combined to throw 2.2 scoreless innings. Stephens struck out the side in the top of the ninth.
Both teams went scoreless in the first three innings, and after Holland froze the final two batters of the fourth, Coppin put a three-spot on the scoreboard.
Jordan Treadwell drove in the first run with a pinch-hit groundout before an RBI single by Hurtado and a double by Sanders.
La Salle responded with two runs in the fifth before taking a 6-3 lead with a four-run sixth.
Garcia cut the deficit to two runs after scoring for CSU on a passed ball in the bottom half of the inning, but La Salle got the run back in the seventh and added an insurance run in the eighth.
The Explorers made a pitching change to start the eighth, and Coppin struck for three runs to make it an 8-7 score. Garcia and Treadwell drew back-to-back walks to start the inning before Hogan tripled down the right field line, driving in both runners. Hogan later scored on a groundout by Hurtado. Sanders kept the rally alive with a single but was thrown out at second to end the threat.
Stephens kept it a one-run game by striking out three batters in the top of the ninth.
Agustin Murillo, Jr., walked to start the bottom half of the inning, and following a strikeout,
Nelson Grajales grounded into a game-ending double play.
CSU returns to the field on Tuesday, March 3 at Navy with first pitch slated for 3 pm.
