Hailey Batista
Kevin Dorsey
3
N.C. Central NCCU 20-35
4
Winner Coppin State CSU 22-20
N.C. Central NCCU
20-35
3
Final
4
Coppin State CSU
22-20
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
N.C. Central NCCU 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 7 4
Coppin State CSU 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 10 2

W: CARRIZOSA,Vanessa (15-14) L: Davis, Jaden (12-18)

Game Recap: Softball |

NCCU Slips Up in Extra Innings for First Postseason Loss


NORFOLK, Va. – Senior Hailey Batista hit her team-high seventh home run of the season and later scored on a game-tying single by freshman Tyler Suttles in the seventh inning to force extra innings, but third-seeded Coppin State University was able to score in the bottom of the 10th inning to defeat fourth-seeded North Carolina Central University, 4-3, in Thursday's postseason match-up between the last two remaining undefeated teams in the 2024 MEAC Softball Championship.
 
Coppin State (22-20) advances to the championship game(s) on Saturday after winning in 10 innings for a second straight night. NC Central (20-35) will next play an elimination game on Friday at 3 p.m., against the winner of Friday's top-seed Morgan State University versus sixth-seeded South Carolina State University game that is scheduled at noon. If NCCU's wins on Friday, the Eagles would advance to play CSU in the championship game(s) and they would need to win twice on Saturday to repeat.
 
The CSU Eagles scored three unearned runs in the third inning before NCCU made its rally. Batista knocked in the first two runs with her seventh homer of the season that cruised over the fence in left-center field.
 
Batista then started the seventh inning with a single and eventually scored on Suttles game-tying base hit to center field.
 
Six different players had hits for the maroon and gray with Batista leading the way with two base knocks.
 
Junior Jaden Davis continued her dominating pitching for NCCU, not allowing an earned run over the first fifth nine innings before suffering the tough-luck loss in the third extra frame.
 
Coppin State scratched out the game-winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning. Sophomore Aniyah Haley led off with a double and scored three batters later as classmate Seryna Esparza provided the walk-off single.
 
Esparza finished with three RBI as she also had a two-run single in CSU's three-run third inning.
 
Senior Vanessa Carrizosa (15-14), the MEAC Pitcher of the Year, hurled all 10 innings for the win. She also tossed all 10 innings in Coppin State's 10-inning victory over Howard University on Wednesday.
 
For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com, or download the NCCU Eagles Athletics app.
 
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