Box Score

PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland - Senior Day started out a bit sluggish but the Maryland Eastern Shore baseballl team came back with a vengeance in the nightcap. The Hawks lost the opener to Coppin State, 4-1, before rallying to win 7-3 later that afternoon.

The team's record jumped to 14-29 overall and 6-14 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play. Over the weekend Coppin State won the series two games to one.

"We did not get done what we wanted to get done, which was winning two out of three." said Hawks coach John O'Neil. "But with our backs against wall that third game, we were able to come up with abig win."

Prior to the games the team honored their seniors for their efforts on the field. Four of those players made an impact on the games today. Pitcher Devin Repine (Salisbury, Maryland) threw as a reliever in the opener and a starter in the nightcap, going 8 1/3 innings and allowing just one earned run while striking out eight. J.P. Black (Elkton, Maryland) started at catcher in the first game and infielder Mike Escanilla (Waldorf, Maryland) registered two hits and scored a run over the two games.

One final senior-third baseman Connor Breslin (Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania)-finished his Senior Day with a 2-for-4 effort in the second game, but he saved the biggest moment of the afternoon for his final at bat. With the bases loaded Breslin smacked a double to left center, sending all of his teammates to home plate.

Top performers outside the senior class include junior Jordan Martin (Atlanta, Georgia) and his 5-for-8 afternoon with two runs scored along with a 3 1/3 inning effort in relief by sophomore Toby Hoskins (North East, Maryland).

Coppin State got a run in the first inning of the first game and didn't look back from there. They would score again in the second and twice more in the fourth. The Hawks would respond with a RBI single in the sixth from junior Justin Somerville (New Windsor, Maryland), but that would be the only run they would tally.

Maryland Eastern Shore struck first in the nightcap thanks to an RBI single from sophomore Jamison Trower (Chesterfield, Virginia) in the fourth inning. Sophomore Jessey Valdez (Dorchester, Massachusetts) singled more another Hawk in the fifth to extend the lead to 2-0, but Coppin responded with three runs in the top of the sixth.

Facing the possibility of elimination via a loss, the Hawks retaliated immediately. After Jamison Trower walked and advanced into scoring position, Somerville doubled him home to tie the game. After Somerville stole third, sophomore Isaiah Chambers (Bowie, Maryland) hit an infield single to send his teammate the last 90 feet to home.

The lead was the Hawks', but it remained slim until the eighth, when Breslin's double put the game away.

With the win in the nightcap Maryland Eastern Shore stays alive in the MEAC playoff hunt out of the Northern Division. But in order to keep their dreams alive they must win three out of four against Delaware State to close out the season.

"There is still a chance." O'Neil says.

Before the Hawks play that series, however, they will travel to Pittsburgh to play the Pitt Panthers. A Tuesday night game will begin at 7:00p.m. will be followed by a 1:00p.m. Wednesday game.