Morgan State 11, Coppin State 3
BALTIMORE, Md. (April 18, 2009)-Morgan State erupted for six runs in the third inning and sophomore pitcher Megan Johnson threw a game-high five strikeouts to lead the Lady Bears to an 11-3 victory in five innings over visiting Coppin State in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) game at Lois T. Murray Field on Saturday afternoon.
With the win, Morgan State, which improved to 12-6, 5-1 in the MEAC, completed the three-game series sweep over rival Coppin State (4-19, 1-6 MEAC), which began over two weeks ago, before being called off due to rain.
Johnson, who improved to 7-1 on the season, pitched a complete game, surrendering three runs on four hits and a walk. Her strikeout of Coppin’s Jade Dudley in the first inning, gave Johnson her 100th career strikeout at Morgan State.
The Lady Bears extended their lead to 9-0, after scoring two runs in the fourth inning off of a two-run triple by Lydia Rodriquez (2-for-3, a run and game-high 4 RBI).
Coppin State finally got on the board in the top of the fifth, scoring three runs to cut the deficit to 9-3. But Morgan State ended the game, scoring two runs in the bottom of the inning when Jasmine Akers’s bases loaded double to center field scored two runs to give the Lady Bears the eight-run advantage they needed to end the game in five innings.
Coppin State’s Paige Arnold was charged with the loss and fell to 4-17 on the season. Arnold finished with two strikeouts and surrendered 11 runs on nine hits and had two walks.
Morgan State returns to action on Saturday, April 25, when it travels to Washington, D.C. to take on Howard in a MEAC doubleheader at Banneker Field. First pitch is at 1 p.m.