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NORFOLK, Va. – Host Norfolk State scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning, then held off a late North Carolina A&T rally to earn a 4-3 win over the Aggies in the first round of the MEAC Baseball Championship on Wednesday at Marty L. Miller Field.

The Spartans (22-26) advance to a 12:30 p.m. winner's bracket game Thursday against the winner of Wednesday's Bethune-Cookman-Coppin State game. N.C. A&T faces the loser of the same contest in an elimination game at 9 a.m. Thursday.

NSU capitalized on two hits and two Aggie errors to score three runs in the bottom of the first. Mikey Bruno and Ross Cardwell both singled and Cameron Day reached on a fielder's choice. Bruno scored from third when James Taylor drew a two-out walk with the bases loaded. Cardwell and Day both scored on a two-out Aggie error to put the Spartans up 3-0.

Cardwell extended the lead to 4-0 with an RBI double in the bottom of the fifth, scoring Bruno, who was hit by an Esterlin Paulino pitch to start the frame.

The Aggies plated three runs in the sixth to get back into it. Kelvin Freeman hit a two-out RBI single and Bo McMillan followed with a two-run single to cut the Spartans' lead to 4-3.

But NSU reliever Jordan Egan kept the Aggies at bay, pitching the final 3.1 innings scoreless to earn this third save of the year.

Chris Horne (7-5) earned the victory for the Spartans. He pitched 5.2 innings and allowed six hits and three runs. Horne walked two and struck out four in his third straight win. Cardwell and second baseman Justin Bhatti, playing his first career game as a position player, had two hits each for NSU.

Paulino (7-5) took the loss for the Aggies, pitching 7.2 innings while allowing six hits and four runs (one earned) with two walks and four strikeouts. Stefan Jordan had two hits to lead N.C. A&T.