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Frank Selden

Baseball Matt Michalec, SID

Spartans Set New Single-Game Strikeout Record in Victory over Coppin State

Bhatti struck out a career-high 12 hitters for the Spartans.
Box Score

NORFOLK, Va. – Three Norfolk State pitchers combined to strike out a school single-game record 19 Coppin State batters in a 12-5 Spartan win on Friday night at Marty L. Miller Field.

NSU starter Justin Bhatti struck out a career-high 12 batters in six innings to improve to 3-4 on the season. Relievers Richie Salter and Ian Shiner struck out four and three Eagles, respectively, to finish off the record for the Spartans (12-21, 8-7 MEAC).

Five different players had at least two hits for the Spartans, who outhit CSU (0-36, 0-12) 15-9. Cameron Day and Rafael Colon led the way with three apiece.

NSU plated two runs in its first two innings at bat against CSU starter Madison Neddo (0-7). Shane Hoggard hit a two-out RBI single to get NSU on the scoreboard in the first. The Spartans then added three more in the second. Justin Lee hit a sacrifice fly, Chase Kyriacou stroked a run-scoring double, and Mikey Bruno hit a two-out RBI single to give NSU a 4-0 lead.

But the Eagles responded with four runs in the top of the third. Jesse Savage started the scoring with an RBI single. Dawan Smith, who singled earlier in the inning, scored from third on a wild pitch by Bhatti. Ian Arciaga then tied the game up with a two-run single to center.

But NSU took the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth. Colon led off with a double down the left-field line. He scored on Day's team-leading fourth triple of the season, a shot into the right-field corner. Chris Warren then plated Day with a sacrifice fly.

The Spartans added to their lead in the sixth. Day singled and eventually scored from third on an Eagle error to extend NSU's lead to 7-4. The Spartans capped their scoring with five in the bottom of the eighth. Ross Cardwell had the big hit in the inning, a two-run single with the bases loaded.

Savage plated CSU's final run with a two-out infield single in the top of the ninth, scoring Mike Wright. But Shiner established the new school record by fanning Alex Brown for the last out of the game. Shiner struck out the side in his lone inning of work, following two frames where Salter sat down four Eagles. 

The previous school record was 18 strikeouts, set in a 3-0 loss to Ferrum on April 23, 1993.

Kyriacou, Hoggard and Warren all went 2-for-3 for NSU. Kyriacou and Day scored three runs apiece.

Savage was 4-for-5 with two RBI for the Eagles.

The teams play a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

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