TEANECK, N.J. - FDU Baseball (8-7, 5-1 NEC) used a eighth inning rally to knock off the Coppin State Eagles (2-13, 2-4 NEC) for a third straight day, capping off the series sweep with a 13-12 victory.
Hunter Ray led the way offensively as he hit two home runs and drove in five of FDU's 13 runs in the victory.
Diego Urreta also knocked in three runs of his own on two hits Sunday afternoon.
Coppin State was the first to the scoreboard on Sunday, as they were in all three games this weekend, scoring two runs in the first inning, one by way of an RBI fielder's choice, and one by way of an RBI single. FDU would respond instantly, as leadoff hitter
Johnathan Gomez was drilled by the first pitch of the game from Eagle starter Aaden Lopez, and the next pitch was sent over the center field wall by
Hunter Ray, as FDU tied the game in just two pitches.
Later in the first inning,
Jimmy Mantuano doubled home another run, as
Diego Urreta came around to score, and the Knights led 3-2 at the conclusion of the first inning. After a scoreless second inning, Coppin State would tag FDU starter
Drew Cisney for two more runs, as the Eagles led the ballgame heading into the bottom of the third. Urreta would quickly flip the scoreboard for the Knights in the bottom half of the inning, as he singled home both
Johnathan Gomez and
Travis Stroh to give the Knights the lead back.
Hitting right behind Urreta was Mantuano, who tallied another RBI by way of a double, as the Knights left fielder came through, boosting the Knights lead to two at the end of the fourth inning. After the Eagles added a run to cut the FDU lead in half in the top of the fifth,
Hunter Ray would respond with a two run homer in the bottom half, hitting his second of the ballgame, and fifth of the season.
Coppin State would draw closer in the sixth, tallying an RBI single that cut the Knight lead to just two, but the Knights would throw a counterpunch, plating three runs in the bottom of the sixth, to give themselves a five run lead at the conclusion of six innings of play.
The Eagles mounted a comeback in the eighth inning, plating six total runs to take the lead over FDU heading into the bottom of the eighth inning.
Needing an answer, the Knights turned to Ray once again as Hunter hit a long single off the right field wall, which scored
Travis Stroh, and tied the game.
Diego Urreta would tack on the go-ahead run by hitting home
Johnathan Gomez on a sacrifise fly, which gave FDU the 13-12 lead heading into the top of the ninth.
Knights closer
Nick Noble came on to shut the door for the burgundy and blue, as he has done all season long. Noble needed just 10 pitches to record his first save of the season, and the Knights eighth win on the campaign.
FDU moves to 8-7 on the season, and 5-1 in NEC play after Sunday's victory. Coppin State dropped to 2-13 wih a 2-4 mark in conference play.
The Knights will continue their homestand all throughout next week, as FDU has another five games in the next calendar week, all of which are at Naimoli Family Baseball Complex. Next week's action starts with a midweek contest against the Marist Runnin' Foxes on Tuesday afternoon. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.
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