Box Score
NORFOLK, Va. – Blaze Zeilman (St. Augustine, Fla.) grounded a single over a drawn-in Maryland Eastern Shore infield for the walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth to help Norfolk State finish off a three-game sweep of the Hawks with a 5-4 win on Sunday afternoon at Marty L. Miller Field.
The win lifts NSU to 11-12-1 overall, 4-5 in the MEAC. UMES falls to 2-28, 1-7.
Chris Joyce (Chesapeake, Va.) led off the ninth by drawing a walk from UMES reliever Cameron Zimmerman (0-3). John Lynch (Newport News, Va.) followed with a well-placed bunt single that rolled past Zimmerman. After a sacrifice by Cameron Parsons (Chesapeake, Va.) advanced the runners one base each, Zimmerman intentionally walked Juan Herrera (Santiago, D.R.) to load the bases and set up a double-play possibility.
But Zeilman, who pinch hit in the designated hitter spot, grounded a 1-0 Zimmerman offering over second baseman Shaquille Bagwell's head to score Joyce with the winning run.
That made a winner out of senior left hander Chase Davenport (Wooster, Ohio). After a shaky start, Davenport (3-2) settled down and tossed his first complete-game of the year. He allowed six hits and four runs, all earned, with three walks. Davenport notched career highs in innings pitched (nine) and strikeouts (eight).
Davenport allowed a run in the top of the first thanks to a pair of walks and a wild pitch. But Lynch had an RBI single and Parsons a sacrifice fly in a two-run NSU first. Then Ryan Wiggins (Hayes, Va.) and TiQuan Griffin (Florence, S.C.) hit back-to-back doubles in the second to give the Spartans a 3-1 edge.
But the Hawks responded with a three-run fourth. Donnie Haines had the bit hit in the inning, a two-out, two-run single that put UMES ahead 4-3.
The Spartans scored once in the fifth to tie it. Joyce singled and later came around to score on Parsons' RBI groundout.
From there, it was a battle of pitchers. Davenport set down 14 straight batters during one stretch until Nick Wiggins' single to center in the ninth, while UMES starter Karim Gonzalez battled his way through eight innings. Gonzalez took the no-decision despite allowing just four runs, three earned.
Lynch, Wiggins and Griffin had two hits each for NSU. Griffin doubled twice. Parsons had two RBI, while Joyce scored twice.
Baqwell was 2-for-3 for the Hawks. Phil Vaughn scored a pair of runs.
The Spartans play at Old Dominion on Tuesday. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m.
