DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., May 20, 2018—A five-run 10th inning on Saturday allowed Bethune-Cookman to outlast Coppin State 8-3 and advance to the title game of the 2018 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Baseball Championship at Sliwa Stadium.
The Wildcats (24-33), who are making their 14th straight championship final appearance, will face Southern Division top seed North Carolina A&T State on Sunday. Game time is tentatively set for 1 p.m. Bethune-Cookman would have to win twice to claim its third straight title.
Coppin State held a 3-2 lead heading into the top of the ninth, but
Nate Sterijevski walked and advanced to third on a
Danny Rodriguez single to get things started. He then scored on a sac fly from
Jordan Stacy, tying the game at 3-3.
The Eagles had their shot in the bottom of the frame, putting runners on the corners with two out before
Ivan Coutinho got Caleb Duhay to ground out to end the threat.
Jameel Edney then got the 10th inning started with a single.
Zach Spivey then reached on a bunt single.
Adonis Lao gave the Wildcats a 4-3 lead with an RBI single, and Sterijevski followed a few batters later with a two-run single.
But the big blast came courtesy of Rodriguez, the Preseason Player of the Year, who blasted a two-run home run – his eighth of the season – over the left field wall to give Bethune-Cookman an 8-3 lead.
The Eagles loaded the bases in the bottom of the 10th, but Coutinho struck out Allen Saar to end the game.
The game quickly became a pitchers' duel, with the Wildcats'
Brady Norris and the Eagles' Devin Rivera Ozuna trading scoreless frames until Bethune-Cookman finally got on the board in the top of the fourth inning.
Jameel Edney, who had been key in the Wildcats' win earlier in the day over Florida A&M, singled home
Jordan Stacy to give Bethune-Cookman a 1-0 lead.
However, the Wildcats left the bases loaded as Ozuna worked his way out of the jam.
The two teams continued trading scoreless innings until the top of the seventh. After Sterijevski doubled to left field, Rodriguez followed with a single up the middle that brought Sterijevski home and made it 2-0 in favor of the Wildcats.
Bethune-Cookman threatened for more, but after a failed squeeze play and a fielder's choice, the Wildcats stranded two runners.
Coppin State (21-23-1) responded in the bottom of the frame, loading the bases before Andres Santana unloaded them with a bases-clearing double that gave the Eagles a 3-2 lead.
Rodriguez was 4-for-5 with three RBIs, a run scored and a walk. Sterijevski and Edney both had three-hit nights.
Coutinho struck out six in three scoreless innings of relief to pick up his fourth win of the season.
