Box Score
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Jerrod Farley (Chester, Va.) went 3-for-3 with his seventh home run of the year and four RBI to lead visiting Norfolk State to a 13-2 win over Florida A&M on Sunday afternoon at Moore-Kittles Field.
John Lynch (Newport News, Va.) and Brandon Hairston (North Garden, Va.) also homered for the Spartans in support of winning pitcher Jason Barker (Chesapeake, Va.). The top six hitters in the NSU lineup all had at least two hits.
The win gives the Spartans (18-20, 9-9 MEAC) the rubber game of the series with the Rattlers (20-24, 9-8) and boosts them to .500 in the MEAC in their final regular-season conference game. It also gives NSU its third straight weekend series win.
NSU jumped on Rattler starter Anthony Espin (6-8) early and often. Farley's RBI single in the top of the first scored John Lynch (Newport News, Va.), who walked to lead off the game and stole second. Hairston, who also walked earlier in the frame, eventually scored on a wild pitch for a 2-0 Spartan lead.
FAMU got a run back in the second on Stavone Martin's RBI groundout. But the Spartans answered with three more runs in the top of the second. Chris Joyce (Chesapeake, Va.) brought home the first two with a double to right-center. Joyce then scored on a single by Anselmo Cantu (Virginia Beach, Va.).
The Rattlers got within 5-2 in the bottom of the second. Darryl Evans doubled and stole third base. He then scored on a groundout by Chris Fullman.
Lynch had the answer this time. He hit a solo home run in the top of the third, his third of the year. Cantu stretched the NSU advantage to 7-2 with another RBI single in the fourth.
The Spartans put the game away with three runs in the sixth and seventh innings. Farley drilled a three-run homer to left-center off Espin in the sixth. It was Farley's seventh homer of the year, tying Cantu for team-high honors.
In the seventh, Joyce delivered an RBI single and Hairston followed with a two-run homer, his first of the year, to give NSU a 13-2 lead. The game was stopped after the seventh due to the 10-run rule.
Barker (5-3) earned his team-leading fifth victory of the year. He pitched a complete game, allowing seven hits and just two runs over seven innings. Barker did not walk a batter and struck out four.
Espin took the loss after allowing nine hits and 10 runs, six earned, in six innings. He walked eight and fanned six.
Lynch, Joyce, Hairston, Cantu and Drew Suttmiller (Chesapeake, Va.) each had two hits for the Spartans. Joyce drove in three runs, and he and Hairston scored three times each. Lynch and Farley each stole a pair of bases.
NSU returns to Virginia for its final four regular-season games, beginning Wednesday with a 3 p.m. game at Richmond.
