PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore softball team travels to Baltimore for a weekend battle with Coppin State, beginning with a doubleheader on Friday, April 7.
The Hawks (7-17, 3-4 MEAC) enter the matchup following their split with South Carolina State on Sunday, April 2. The Hawks took a thrilling 11-10 decision in game one before the Bulldogs left Salisbury with a 12-5 win in the second game.
The Eagles (4-19, 1-7 MEAC) enter following a 4-3 defeat to Saint Peter's in their last matchup on Wednesday, April 5.
"This weekend is a very crucial weekend for us," Hawks coach Karla Ross said. "We have dropped some games recently and need to pick up a series win. We've had a good week of practice and feeling confident on the weekend."
Checking on the Hawks
The Hawks received essential performances from their freshmen over the weekend against SCSU.
Jaycee Holt and Katelyn Smitchko each boasted four-RBI games in the twin bill, while Shanya Roberts added her first two career RBI, scored twice and stole a bag in the game one win.
Morea Hodge joined the fun, smacking her first career hit and taking a hit away in center field.
Ameenah Ballenger and Katelyn Smitchko have combined to toss all possible innings for UMES this season (138.0), but they also rank first and second on the team in runs-batted in: Ballenger carries a team-high 18 and Smitchko has 12 on the year.
Ballenger's .343 batting average leads the Hawks this season. She has hits in five of the last six games for UMES including a pair of multi-hit performances.
Kelsie Ekstrom (.328) and Nola Mountain (.324) are the two other Hawks holding averages above the .300 line on the year. Holt has also seen her average climb to .280 after a four-hit Sunday against the Bulldogs.
Scouting the Eagles
Two of Coppin's four victories on the season came in their season-opening tournament. The Eagles knocked off Bryant on March 4 and Towson on March 5 at the DeMarini Tiger Clash at Towson.
After beating Towson, the Eagles dropped ten straight. They defeated the University of Maryland Baltimore County and Howard University in back-to-back contests on March 22 and March 26, by scores of 4-3 and 6-4 respectively. Since topping Howard, Coppin has lost seven consecutive contests.
Freshman Seryna Esparza has been the top hitter for Coppin, boasting a .358/.452/.491 slash line in 19 career games. The Eagles have just three other hitters with averages higher than .200 and bat .196 as a team.
Junior Vanessa Carrizosa holds the team's best earned-run average at 4.27 and has tossed a team-high 75.1 innings.
The Series
Coppin State holds a 48-24 advantage in the series with UMES since 2002. The teams have split their matchups since head coach Karla Ross came aboard, with each side claiming three of the six.
Last season's series saw UMES take two of the three games, with 6-5 and 8-5 victories split by a 21-10 outlier. The Hawks have claimed each of the last three series, taking two in 2019 and sweeping the Eagles in 2018.
Coppin last took a series from the Hawks back in 2017.
First pitch of game one is scheduled for 1 p.m. with a 3 p.m. contest to follow. First pitch in Saturday's series finale is slated for noon.
