Syracuse, N.Y. – Behind a strong pitching performance from Jacob Crystal (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse), a grand slam from Benji Ries (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson), and a four-hit afternoon from Zach Brush (New York Mills, N.Y./Utica Notre Dame), The Le Moyne baseball team bested Coppin State University on Friday by a score of 8-1.

The Dolphins, who defeated CSU in game one of the three-game series on Thursday by a score of 17-1, clinched their first NEC series victory with the win on Friday, and will have a chance to sweep the Eagles on Saturday with game three scheduled for 12 p.m.

"Jake (Crystal) picked up where Jordan (Goldmann) left off yesterday and gave us a great start," said Le Moyne head coach Scott Cassidy '98. "With that and a big inning sparked by Benji's grand slam, we were in great shape to win the series. Now we gotta get ready for a big game tomorrow."

Crystal, making his fourth conference start of the year on Friday, limited the Eagles to one hit, one walk and one unearned run with five strikeouts in 7.0 innings of work to register his first victory of the season and lower his ERA to a team-best 3.51.

Right-handed reliever Kennen Smith (Poughquag, N.Y./Arlington) then tossed two scoreless innings in relief with three strikeouts to secure the Dolphins' third straight win.

At the plate, Brush went 4-5 with a two stolen bases, a run scored and an RBI to improve his conference batting average to .426, while outfielder Wyatt Patchett (Geneva, N.Y./Geneva) tallied two hits and two runs scored.

Ries, who went 4-4 with a career-high four runs scored during the win on Thursday, smashed his first career grand slam, and his team-leading third home run of the season in the bottom of the fifth inning on Friday to extend Le Moyne's lead to 6-1. Ries stepped to the plate with two outs, and fell behind 0-2 before fouling off the next delivery and sending the fourth pitch over the right field wall. Ries' four RBI on Friday sets a new career high for the junior from Buffalo Grove.

Freshman infielder Mike Whelehan (Hilton, N.Y./Hilton) added a hit, a run and two RBI, while senior catcher Brady Fureno (Canajoharie, N.Y./Fort Plain) contributed two hits and two runs scored. Ries (12) and Fureno (11) are now first and second, respectively, among Le Moyne players in runs scored during conference play.

Coppin State scored the first run of the game in the top of the fourth when senior catcher Samuel Nieves drove in redshirt-sophomore first baseman Damon Gaither with a double to right field.

Le Moyne then scored six runs in the bottom of the fifth. Fureno was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, then with one out, Patchett ripped a double to right-center field. Whelehan hit a hard ground ball towards third base that drove in Fureno, then Brush knocked in Patchett with a single to right field to give Le Moyne its first lead of the game.

After Roden walked to load the bases, Ries went opposite field with his third home run during conference play to make it 6-1 in favor of the Dolphins.

Le Moyne added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI groundout by Whelehan, followed by an RBI single from Roden.

Le Moyne, which has now won five of its last six games, will conclude its first home NEC series on Saturday with a 12 p.m. matchup against the Eagles.