BALTIMORE, Md. (April 29, 2023) – It was a reversal of fortunes on Saturday afternoon, in the Northeast Conference series finale at Cannon Stadium. The offense of the Sacred Heart University baseball team – which had struck for 23 runs in a doubleheader sweep on Friday – could muster only three hits, while host Coppin State pushed across 13 runs on the way to a 13-1 victory. Sacred Heart still secured the series victory via its two wins on Friday.

SHU (18-23, 13-11 NEC) scored its only run of the afternoon in the top of the second inning, which at the time evened the game at 1-1. Ryan Donnelly (Fairfield, Conn.) led off with a double to right-center, advanced on a sacrifice bunt and later scored when Robert Farruggio (Fairfield, Conn.) bounced into an RBI fielder's choice.

Coppin State (14-28, 7-14 NEC) seized control of the afternoon for good in the home half of the second, with eight runs to jump to a 9-1 lead. The Eagles had just two hits in the inning, as most of the damage was self-inflicted by right-handers Nick Kane (West Hartford, Conn.) and Jake McDowell (Brookfield, Conn.). Kane hit a batter and walked one, while McDowell issued three walks, hit a batter to force home a run and uncorked a wild pitch which brought home another. The biggest blow of the inning came against Kane, who served up a three-run homer to Jordan Hamberg, his team-leading sixth of the season.

Right-hander Mitch Hawkins (Southbury, Conn.) eventually took over to record the inning's final out, but not before an error allowed the frame's final run to score.

From there, it was all over but the shouting. Coppin State added two in the fourth, plus single runs in the seventh and eighth, to roll to the 12-run victory.

It took nine SHU pitchers to get through the proceedings, with Kane (0-2) making the start and taking the loss. Over 1.2 innings of work, he was charged with six runs on four hits, walked three and struck out one.

Right-hander Marcos Herrand (5-5) fired seven innings of one-run ball on the other side of the ledger for Coppin State. He allowed two hits, walked four and struck out five.

The Pios have five home games on the docket next week. SHU will host Yale and Fairfield in midweek games on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, before welcoming Delaware State for an NEC series May 5-7.