Game 1 Box Score  |  Game 2 Box Score

HANOVER, Md. – Sophomore Ryan VanAssche pitched a complete-game one-hitter in the opener, and freshman Ian Shiner threw six shutout innings in the nightcap to lead Norfolk State to an 11-1, 6-0 sweep of host Coppin State on Saturday afternoon at Joe Cannon Stadium.

The Spartans (21-26, 15-9 MEAC) completed their regular season by sweeping the four-game series from CSU (1-50, 0-24). In the process, the Spartans notched their seventh consecutive 20-win season and finished the regular season with 15 MEAC victories, their most ever.

NSU limited the Eagles to just one unearned run on four hits on the afternoon. VanAssche flirted with a no-hitter, allowing only a lead-off double in the seventh. Shiner followed by allowing just three hits in six innings, combining with Jordan Egan on a shutout.

The Eagles actually held a 1-0 lead in the opener without benefit of a hit. Mike Wright led off the bottom of the first by walking. He advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Zach Hawk. Wright alertly took third as NSU did not have a defender covering the bag, and an errant throw in the direction of third allowed Wright to score.

CSU pitcher Ben Jarboe kept NSU off the board until the fifth, when the Spartans exploded for five runs. Chase Kyriacou and Mikey Bruno led off with consecutive singles off Jarboe. Both runners advanced a base on a wild pitch, and Cameron Day tied the score with an RBI single. Ross Cardwell drove in Bruno with a sacrifice fly to give the Spartans a 2-1 lead.

NSU wasn't done in the inning, however. Tyon Ore singled to put two runners on, and senior catcher Chris Warren followed with his first home run of the season to put NSU ahead 5-1.

Ore added a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning to make it a 6-1 game. That left VanAssche's no-hitter as the biggest suspense remaining. VanAssche allowed five base runners in the first six innings, three on walks, one on a hit batter and another Eagle reached on an NSU error. But Paul Hawk doubled down the left field line to start the seventh, ending the no-hit bid. VanAssche finished what he started, though. He retired the last six hitters he faced, three by strikeout, to finish off the one-hitter.

NSU put the game away with a five-run eighth. Kyriacou hit a sacrifice fly to start the rally. Three more walks loaded the bases before Cardwell launched his first home run as a Spartan, a grand slam that put NSU on top, 11-1. The game was stopped after eight innings due to the 10-run rule.

VanAssche improved to 4-6 on the year, pitching his third complete game of the year and striking out a career-high 10 hitters. Warren was 3-for-4 with three RBI, Cardwell knocked in a career-high five runs, and Ore was 2-for-3 for the Spartans. Day went 1-1, drew four walks and scored three runs.

Jarboe (0-15) took the loss for CSU despite throwing seven solid innings. He allowed eight hits and six runs.

Pitching was again the story for NSU in the nightcap. This time it was the rookie Shiner who kept the Eagles' offense at bay. Making his second career start, Shiner went six innings and allowed just three hits. He did not walk a batter and fanned four in earning his first career win.
 
But CSU's Paul Hawk was just as effective to start the contest, matching Shiner zero for zero through the first five innings before NSU finally broke through in the sixth. The Spartans plated all their runs in the frame, getting a two-run double by Kyriacou and a run-scoring double by Rafael Colon. Bruno and Justin Lee also had RBI in the inning.

Shiner gave way to Egan for the seventh, and the junior right hander pitched a 1-2-3 inning, recording two strikeouts to close NSU's second shutout of the year.

Kyriacou went 3-for-4 in the nightcap and finished the day 4-for-8 with three RBI. Ore went 3-for-4 in the two games.

The Spartans will be the No. 2 seed in the MEAC North entering the 2012 MEAC Tournament, which will be played at NSU's own Marty L. Miller Field this Wednesday, May 16 through Sunday, May 20. NSU opens tourney play at 9 a.m. Wednesday against North Carolina A&T, the third seed from the MEAC South.