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NORFOLK, Va. – Mark Stuckless was 5-for-7 and hit a bases-clearing double in the top of the 12th to help visiting Hofstra take a 13-9 win over Norfolk State and salvage the final game in the series on Sunday afternoon at Marty L. Miller Field.
Despite the loss, the Spartans (20-21) earned their first-ever three-game series win over a CAA opponent and head into this week's MEAC Tournament having won their last four weekend series.
NSU led 7-1 in the seventh inning on the backs of a strong start from Jason Barker (Chesapeake, Va.) and a six-run fourth inning outburst.
There were two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning and NSU third baseman Chris Joyce (Chesapeake, Va.) was on second base when the Spartans' bats heated up. Shortstop Drew Suttmiller (Chesapeake, Va.) plated Joyce with a single up the middle for the first run of the game. Freshman designated hitter Pat Hall (Virginia Beach, Va.) followed with a two-run single down the first-base line to score Jerrod Farley (Chester, Va.) and Suttmiller for a 3-0 NSU lead.
After a Chris Warren (Virginia Beach, Va.) double moved Hall to third, outfielder Chris Williams (Suffolk, Va.) stepped to the plate and delivered a two-run single to give NSU a 5-0 lead. Those were the first RBI in the career of Williams, who got the start in his final home game as a Spartan.
John Lynch (Newport News, Va.) capped the rally with an RBI single to score Williams.
Barker, who pitched 2.1 scoreless innings to earn the save in Saturday's game 2 win, was sharp for the first six innings, allowing just one Hofstra (8-32) run. But he began to tire in the seventh and yielded three runs in the seventh, two on run-scoring doubles by Chris Mentrasti and Scott A'Hara.
The Pride then rallied for four runs in the eighth off NSU reliever Jason Donovan (Virginia Beach, Va.) for an 8-7 lead. Matt Prokopowicz hit a two-run triple to close the gap to 7-6. John Kenny and A'Hara then had two-out, infield RBI singles, the latter off Spartan reliever Ryan Shook (Virginia Beach, Va.), to give Hofstra its first lead of the series. All four runs were charged to Donovan, who had retired the first two batters in the inning.
The Spartans battled back with a run in the bottom of the eighth. Suttmiller led off the inning with a single, advanced to second on a sacrifice and to third on a groundout. Pinch hitter Jermaine Berry (Suffolk, Va.) knotted the game at 8-all with an RBI single to center field off Pride relief pitcher Jeff Guthridge.
Both teams had their chances in the ensuing innings. NSU left the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, and Hofstra did likewise in the top of the 10th. But Hofstra finally broke through for five in the top of the 12th off Shook, who pitched well but was also making his second extended relief appearance of the weekend. Tom Legregni hit a run-scoring infield single to break the deadlock before Stuckless grounded a base hit down the right-field line for a three-run double. Stuckless capped the rally by scoring on a wild pitch.
NSU got one run back in the bottom of the 12th on a Farley RBI single, but Guthridge kept the Spartans at bay.
Guthridge (3-2) was the winner, allowing two runs in five relief innings. He threw more than 100 pitches and struck out five. Shook (2-3) took the loss, allowing five runs in 3.2 innings. He struck out six.
A'Hara was 6-for-6 for Hofstra, which finished with 28 hits. Mentrasti and Nick Panzarella finished with four apiece.
Lynch (3-for-7, RBI) and Hairston (3-for-5, double) led the Spartans' 16-hit attack. Farley, Suttmiller and Hall had two each. Hall had a career-high three runs batted in for NSU, which scored 30 runs and rapped out 47 hits in the series.
The Spartans have qualified for the 2009 MEAC Baseball Tournament, but must await the outcome of Monday's makeup game between North Carolina A&T and Florida A&M to learn their seeding. The tournament runs Thursday, May 14 through Sunday, May 17 at Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach, Fla.
