Coppin State scored eight runs in the ninth inning to defeat Delaware State 18-12 on Saturday afternoon to win its second Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Championship since 1995. The Eagles also matched a school-record with its 24th win of the season and now receives the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.
Coppin State scored 13 of its 18 runs in the final three innings, taking an 8-7 lead after the top of the seventh. Delaware State stormed right back with four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to lead 11-8. The Eagles cut the deficit to a one run after the eighth inning.
The Eagles took the lead for good with eight runs in the top of the ninth inning to win the four-team MEAC Conference Championship.
Delaware State attempted a comeback, but was only able to muster a run in the bottom of the ninth.
Coppin opened the game scoring five runs in the first inning on a two-run double by Jordan Hamberg along with a bases-clearing double by Landen Argabright. Delaware State scored one in the second and four in the fourth to tie the score before going on top, 7-5 with two runs in the fifth.
Brian Nicolas, Mike Dorcean and Argabright all drove in three runs for the Eagles with Matt Day and Marcos Castillo recording three hits each.
Rashad Ruff earned the victory for Coppin, allowing five earned runs with five strikeouts in 5.0 innings of relief work after Giovanni Canales and Johan Freudenburg combined to give up six runs in 1.2 innings on the hill.
Coppin State will find out who will be their next opponent in the NCAA Regionals when ESPN2 announces the NCAA Baseball Selection Show airing on Monday, May 30 at 12 pm.