Coppin State’s baseball team rallied from a five-run deficit to defeat Delaware State, 10-6 on Friday afternoon at Blandair Park in the MEAC opener for both teams. The Eagles now stand at 5-11 on the season.
Eimir Perez scored three runs while going 1-for-3 with two RBI and a pair of walks as Wellington Balsley and Corey Miley had two hits apiece. Balsley also drove in two runs while Miley scored twice with two hits and a pair of walks. Marcos Castillo drove in three runs with a double and Mike Dorcean reached base safely in all four of his plate appearances, drawing two walks and was hit by a pair of pitches.
Tyler Nichol settled down after a five-run first inning to get the win as he allowed just four runs in 6.0 innings to get the win. Justin Johnson earned the save, giving up just two hits over the final 3.0 innings and striking out five.
Delaware State got to Nichol early in the first, with most of the damage coming in the first pitch of at-bats. The Hornets put five on the board with an error extending the inning.
Coppin got all five of those runs back in the second as it took advantage of three walks and a hit batsman. Josh Hankins, Tyler Lloyd and Miley all drew walks to start the inning before a two-run single by Perez. Dorcean was then hit by a pitch, and after Balsley reached on a fielder’s choice, Castillo cleared the bases with a three-run double to right center to tie the score at 5-5.
The Eagles took their first lead of the game with two more runs in the third. CSU loaded the bases with two outs before Balsley drove in a run on a fielder’s choice. The throw was also wild which allowed a second run to score on the play.
DSU pulled within 7-6 with a run in the fourth and Hankins’ defense in the fifth kept Coppin ahead after the top of the fifth. The Eagles were able to load the bases once again in the fifth and Balsley reached on an infield single to drive in Miley. The throw from third also went wild which allowed to Perez and Dorcean to score as well to make it a 10-6 score.
Nichol retired the side in the sixth before being replaced with two runners on in the seventh. Johnson struck out the first two Hornets he faced before getting a flyout to end the frame. Johnson got out of a small jam in the eighth with a strikeout before forcing a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
CSU left a pair stranded in its half of the eighth before Johnson fanned two in the ninth and got the final out on a groundball to third.