Norfolk, Va. (May 15, 2014) --- Delaware State's normally explosive offense was held to three hits in a 6-1 season-ending loss to Coppin State in a MEAC Tournament elimination contest at Marty Miller Field Thursday evening.
The Hornets were 0-2 as a top tournament seed for the second consecutive year. Champions of the MEAC North for the third year in a row, DSU ends its season with a 30-17 overall record.
Third seeded Coppin State stays live in the tournament. The Eagles are scheduled to take on No. 3 Florida A&M in an elimination contest on Friday at 2 p.m.
Delaware State entered Thursday's contest with a NCAA Division I leading .336 batting average.
Coppin State starter Dillon O'Brien (2-2) held the Hornets to two hits and one run, while striking out two in 6.1 innings. CSU's Michael Roberts surrendered one hit and struck out four in 2.2 innings of scoreless relief.
The Hornets opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the second inning. Aarron Nardone doubled off O'Brien to lead off the inning. Mike Alexander was at the plate with no outs when Nardone stole third and continued home on a throwing error by CSU catcher William Brown.
Coppin State evened the game with a run in the top of the third. Miranda Bryant was walked by Delaware State starter Harry Thomas to lead off the inning. Bryant moved to second on a sacrifice bunt; and scored on a two-out double by David Hamlett.
O'Brien frustrated the Hornets for much of the game. The Coppin State lefty retired 13 straight batters from the second to the sixth inning. Hassan Evans ended the string with a one-out single in the sixth.
Meanwhile, Coppin State threatened in the fourth through sixth innings but failed to score. The Eagles loaded the bases with one out in the fourth but the Hornets turned a double play to end the threat. Thomas worked out of a one-out bases loaded jam in the fifth by striking out the last two batters. The Eagles stranded runners on second and third in the sixth.
Thomas worked out of several jams to keep the Hornets in the game. He allowed one run on four hits, while striking out four and walking four in five innings as the DSU starter.
Coppin State broke the stalemate with four runs in the seventh inning. Hornet reliever Chris Gonzalez allowed two singles and a walk to the first three batters in the inning to load the bases. The next hitter, John Walls, perfectly executed a suicide squeeze bunt to score David Hamlett, giving the Eagles a 2-1 lead.
Jeff Fitch, Chris Godfrey and Bryant each singled in seventh inning runs to stretch Coppin State's lead to 5-1.
In the Delaware State seventh, Cameron Cecil drew a walk to lead off the inning. Cecil advanced to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a throwing error. He was left there when O'Brien struck out Nardone; and reliever Michael Roberts retired Alexander on a pop out and struck out Eddie Sorondo to end the inning.
The Eagles added an eighth inning run on a single by Jack Kraft to open up a 6-1 advantage.
The Hornets put two men on base in the eighth inning and another in the ninth but failed to score.
Hassan Evans and DJ Miller each singled to account for the other Delaware State hits.
