Box Score

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Joseph McCrary hit a walk-off two-out, two-run triple in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift host Savannah State to a 6-5 win over Norfolk State in the rubber game of their series on Sunday at Tiger Field.

McCrary lined a two-strike offering from Ryan Davis right down the right-field line, scoring Kevin Herlihy from second and Julius Green from first. Both runners had walked earlier in the frame.

The Spartans (3-4) got off to a good start. John Lynch singled, stole second and scored on a John Rasberry RBI single before the Tigers (4-5) could record an out in the top of the first.

The Tigers tied the score on Peter Poole's RBI double in the second, but NSU answered with three runs in the third. Rasberry again knocked in Lynch with an RBI single. Blaze Zeilman scored Rasberry with a groundout, and Brandon Hairston plated Chris Joyce with another RBI single for a 4-1 NSU lead.

But SSU scored once in the fourth and twice in the fifth off NSU starter Justin Bhatti to tie the game at 4-all. An error and a sacrifice fly by Herlihy accounted for the run in the fourth. In the fifth, Dexter Kelley tied the game with a two-run single.

The Spartans took a 5-4 lead in the top of the eighth. Chris Warren led of with his second double of the day, this one to right-center off Tigers' reliever Andrew Garren. Warren advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored after a groundout by Rafael Colon.

Davis worked out of a two-on jam in the eighth to preserve the Spartans' lead, but he couldn't avoid trouble in the ninth. Herlihy walked to lead off the inning, then moved up 90 feet on Cordarian Robertson's sacrifice. Davis then walked Green, but fanned Matthew Oglesby for the second out in the inning.

That's when McCrary followed with the winning hit, his second of the day and just the fifth for the Tigers during the game.

NSU out-hit SSU 13-5. Rasberry had a career-high four hits, part of a 4-for-5 day that included two RBI and two stolen bases. Rasberry went 6-for-10 with seven RBI in the weekend series.

Also Sunday, Warren had a season-high three hits, going 3-for-4 with a run scored. Joyce went 2-for-5 and scored once.

Bhatti took a no-decision despite a solid outing. He allowed four hits and four runs, but just two earned, in 4.1 innings. He struck out four. Freshman Jeff Di Fulgo pitched three scoreless, hitless innings of relief.

Courtrevez McTier got the win for SSU by pitching a scoreless ninth.

The Spartans host VCU at 3 p.m. on Tuesday at Marty L. Miller Field.