HANOVER, Md. – Angel Garcia and
Jordan Treadwell had three hits apiece as the Coppin State baseball team was edged by New Haven, 7-6, in their series opener on Friday afternoon at Joe Cannon Stadium. The Eagles now stand at 8-31 overall and 8-17 in the NEC while the Chargers moved to 9-28 on the year and 8-14 in league play.
A freshman from Miami, Fla., Garcia continued his impressive debut season by going 3-for-4 with a double, four RBI and a sacrifice fly. Garcia is now hitting a team-high .313 on the year and .341 in conference play and is a prime candidate for NEC Rookie of the Year.
Treadwell doubled twice, scored three runs and also drew a walk to raise his average to .291 on the year.
Pedro Agosto tripled and drove in a run while
Terrell Milliner blasted his third home run of the season.
Armando (AJ) Hurtado also scored twice while recording a hit and a walk.
Dillon Kirksey had arguably his best outing the year, going 7.0 innings while striking out a season-high eight batters despite allowing five runs on ten hits. All five runs came in the fourth inning.
Coppin struck for two runs in the bottom of the first to take a 2-0 lead with Garcia plating Treadwell for a sacrifice fly for the first run of the game. Agosto followed right up with a triple to left, scoring Hurtado all the way from first.
Kirksey struck out three of the next six Chargers to keep a 2-0 lead before allowing six hits in the fourth as New Haven took a 5-2 lead. He responded by throwing a 1-2-3 inning in both the fifth and sixth before stranding a pair of runners in the seventh.
Garcia had driven in another run in the fifth to make it a 5-3 score and he tied the score in the bottom of the seventh with a two-run double to bring in both Treadwell and Hurtado.
Justin Ritz relieved Kirksey to start the eighth and allowed a run in each of his two innings as New Haven took a 7-5 lead.
Milliner led off the ninth with a solo home run to make it a one-run game and
Nelson Grajales was plunked on the very next pitch. After a sac bunt by
Emilio Feliciano,
Pranav Sundar advanced Grajales to third with a fly ball to center field.
Brandon Stephens replaced Grajales at third base, but
Marcus Sanders was thrown out at first on a suicide squeeze attempt to end the game.
The same two teams will play at 1 pm on both Saturday, May 2 and Sunday, May 3 at Joe Cannon Stadium.
