HANOVER, Md. – Coppin State rode a seven-run fourth-inning to a 12-6 win over Norfolk State on Saturday afternoon at Joe Cannon Stadium, evening the teams' weekend series at a game apiece.
The Eagles (13-10, 6-2 MEAC North) recorded five hits and took advantage of three walks and a hit batter in the fourth inning to break the game open.
Both teams scored a run in the first. NSU (9-14, 5-3) outfielder
Justin Hayes led off the game with a single, stole second and third bases and scored on
Korey Singh's fielder's choice grounder.
But the Eagles scored single runs in each of the first three innings to take the lead. Eric Crossman's RBI bunt single tied the game in the bottom of the first. NSU errors in the second and third innings enabled CSU to take a 3-1 lead after three.
The Eagles broke the game open in the fourth. A walk and two infield hits loaded the bases. Nazier McIlwain's RBI groundout scored the first run of the inning, and Matthew Day came around on a wild pitch. Carols Alviarez knocked in a pair of runs with a single and Conner Walker hit a two-run double. Drew Thomas capped the inning with an RBI double, making it 10-1.
The Spartan offense came to life in the later innings.
Dionte Brown drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Hayes stroked a two-run single in a three-run sixth for the Spartans.
Trent Hanchey singled in a run in the seventh and
Brandon Crosby hit a solo homer, his second of the year, in the ninth.
Hayes was 3-for-5 with a triple, two RBIs and three stolen bases for the Spartans. It was his second straight game with three steals and NSU's second in a row with eight as a team. Hanchey notched his first career multi-hit game, going 2-for-3, and he also stole three bases. Crosby was 1-for-3 with two runs scored.
Day went 3-for-5 with three runs for the Eagles. Justin Banks was 2-for-2 with three walks.
Ridge Walker (2-5) took the loss on the mound for the Spartans. He yielded five hits and seven runs, five earned, in 3.1 innings. Jahmon Taylor (2-1) earned the win for the Eagles, allowing four runs, three earned, with nine strikeouts in 5.1 innings pitched.
The teams play the rubber game of their series at 1 p.m. Sunday.