BALTIMORE – Brooklyn Tapusoa connected for three hits, including a home run, but the Coppin State softball team fell to South Carolina State, 8-5 on Sunday afternoon at CSU Softball Complex. The Eagles fell to 1-13 overall and 0-6 in the MEAC while the Bulldogs improved to 9-8 on the year and 6-0 in league play.
A senior from Salt Lake City, Utah, Tapusoa went 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI. Tapusoa's home run was her eighth of her career, moving her into tenth on Coppin's all-time list.
Aniyah Haley added a base hit with two walks while
Giselle Ulloa and
Leslie Sereno also recorded hits while also drawing walks.
Brooklyn Lee-Scott scored two runs, drew two walks and also tossed a complete game from the circle, allowing six earned runs on nine hits while striking out three in 7.0 innings.
The Bulldogs scored three runs in the first two innings before Tapusoa put Coppin on the board with a shot over the center field fence. Both teams went scoreless in the third, but the Bulldogs tacked on two more runs in both the fourth and fifth innings to take a 7-1 lead.
Coppin put three runs across in the bottom of the fifth with base hits from Tapusoa and
Cameran Corbett. Ulloa and Sereno reached to start the inning, and Ulloa scored from second as Lee-Scott reached on a fielder's choice and a throw by the shortstop to second went wild, allowing Sereno to advance to third. After a passed ball and a strikeout,
Xzylia Maravilla grounded out to short which scored Sereno. Lee-Scott scored later in the inning on a single by Tapusoa.
SC State got one run back in the sixth, which was matched by the Eagles on an RBI single by
Emily Quintero, once again scoring Lee-Scott who walked and stole second. Coppin continued to threaten before Tapusoa struck out looking on an inside pitch.
Lee-Scott retired the Bulldogs in order in the seventh, and Coppin got the tying run to the plate after
Julianna Mejia and Ulloa drew back-to-back two-out walks before a flyout ended the rally.
Coppin is back at home on March 28-29 when it hosts Delaware State for a three-game MEAC series. Saturday's doubleheader is set for 1 pm, followed by a 12 pm single game on Sunday.
