Box Score (Game 1) l Box Score (Game 2)

PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland -- Fresh off a 3-1 loss in the conference opener and facing the same deficit with two innings to play in the second game, the Hawks rallied to tie in the sixth before walking off in the seventh inning of today's doubleheader by a score of 4-3, earning a split over Coppin State.

The split between Coppin State (3-13, 1-1 MEAC) and Maryland Eastern Shore (5-14, 1-1 MEAC) will now not be followed by a rubber game this weekend, as Sunday's finale was postponed due to the impending Nor'easter that will hit the coast Saturday night. The game will be made up at a later date.

Senior Connor Breslin (Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania) and freshman Joseph Nicastro (New Market, Maryland) tallied three hits each for the Hawks, and Breslin led the team with a pair of RBI's. Sophomore Jamison Trower (Chesterfield, Virginia) also added a double in the second game, and fellow sophomore Jessey Valdez (Dorchester, Massachusetts) supplied the walk off single to give the Hawks the win.

The pitchers were effective all day long, with sophomore starters Toby Hoskins (North East, Maryland) and Scott Bean (Harvey's Lake, Pennsylvania) combining for nine innings, giving up five earned runs and striking out 11 Eagles. Two relievers--sophomore Chris Melrath (Rising Sun, Maryland) and senior Will Turley (Greensboro, Maryland)--were even better, with a total of seven scoreless innings.

"We played well in both games." Hawks coach John O'Neil said after the game. "Our pitching kept us alive, even though Coppin was able to pull out the first game. Our guys were able to overcome some adversity and played a great team game to get the walk-off win in game two. We made some heads up plays and Valdez was able to come through in the bottom of the seventh. A great team win."

In both games, Coppin State blazed out of the gates, scoring a pair of runs in the first inning, forcing the hand of the Hawks early. Eagles' starter Krystian Negron needed only those two runs as he held the home team at bay, conceding just one run on a squeeze play from Hawk junior Justin Somerville (New Windsor, Maryland) on the way to a complete game victory.

After the Eagles scored their pair in the first, then plated a third run on a wild pitch in the second. The Hawks responded in the third when junior Jordan Martin (Atlanta, Georgia) singled, stole second and scored on a balk.

That scored held until the sixth, when the Hawks would make their rally. Valdez and Trower led off with a single and a double, respectively. Coppin State's first baseman made an impressive line drive catch on a hard hit ball for the first out, but then Breslin sailed a fastball over the Eagles' left fielder to score both runners.

In the seventh, Martin walked, took second on another balk and then stole third by catching the defense napping. After Nicastro reached on an infield hit that couldn't score Martin, senior Mike Escanilla (Waldorf, Maryland) was intentionally walked to load the bases. That strategy would backfire on the Eagles and benefit the Hawks on the very next pitch when Valdez split the outfielders to give Maryland Eastern Shore the victory.

The next scheduled games due to the postponement is a doubleheader at home against Mount St. Mary's this Tuesday, beginning at 1:00 in the afternoon.