Game 1 Box l Game 2 Box
NORFOLK, Va. – Matt McClain tossed a three-hit shutout in Delaware State's 1-0 win in game 1, then teammate Elliot Gardner threw a four-hit shutout in a 5-0 Hornets' win in game 2 as DSU swept a MEAC baseball doubleheader from Norfolk State on Saturday at Marty L. Miller Field.
The second-place Hornets improve to 20-19 on the year, 8-3 in MEAC play. NSU fell to 15-23, 7-7.
McClain went all nine innings for his fourth complete game of the year in Saturday's opener. He didn't allow a hit until a one-out John Lynch single in the sixth. He allowed just two more hits and walked three while fanning four.
The Hornets got the only run they needed in the top of the third. Brandon Crist was hit by a Ryan VanAssche pitch to start the inning. Troy Drummond sacrificed Crist to second, then Keith Hernandez bounced a single up the middle, scoring Crist from second for a 1-0 lead.
The run would hold up. NSU's best chance to score came in the sixth as James Taylor walked with one out, and Lynch followed with the first hit off McClain to put two runners on base. Brandon Hairston followed with a groundout that moved Taylor to third and Lynch to second. But McClain got NSU's leading hitter, John Rasberry, to ground out to end the threat.
NSU tried to mount a rally in the ninth as Hairston singled, moved up to second on a sacrifice, and advanced to third on a groundout. But McClain got Chris Joyce to ground out for the final out.
Ryan VanAssche was the hard-luck loser for the Spartans. The freshman lefty, making his first start since March 12, allowed just five hits and the one run over seven innings. He struck out six and walked just one.
Scott Davis and Cameron Cecil had two hits each for the Hornets in game one. Ryan Montgomery also had one hit for the Spartans.
DSU started fast in game two, scoring a run without a hit in the top of the first. Hernandez walked and Davis was hit by a Justin Bhatti pitch to start the game. Both runners moved up a base, and Hernandez scored on a two-out wild pitch for the game's first run.
The Hornets tacked on three more in the fourth. Joey Babuca and D.J. Miller hit RBI singles and Cecil scored on a Spartan error. Cecil extended the lead to 5-0 in the fifth with an RBI double.
Gardner (3-5) did the rest. He allowed just four hits, two to Montgomery, and did not walk a batter. He struck out three. Bhatti (1-6) took the loss, facing just six batters and pitching one complete inning. He walked two batters and hit one.
Cecil and Ryan Haas had two hits each for DSU in game two. Cecil was 4-for-8 in the doubleheader.
Montgomery was 3-for-7 in the two games for NSU. Lynch had one hit in each game.
The Spartans are off until they host a three-game series with Savannah State next Friday and Saturday at Marty L. Miller Field.
