Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 BALTIMORE, Md. – Norfolk State and Coppin State split a pair of hard-fought MEAC Northern Division games on Saturday afternoon at Joe Cannon Stadium. The Spartans won the opener 5-4, but lost the nightcap 9-6. Saturday's results, coupled with Friday's win, gives NSU its second straight conference series win.

The Spartans (9-17, 4-5 MEAC) got clutch relief pitching from Ray Morton and Troy Applin in addition to three hits from Zach Markel to take game one. The Eagles (6-19, 3-6) capitalized on NSU miscues and timely hitting to earn the split in game two.

In the opener, both teams scored an early unearned run and the game stood knotted at 1-all heading into the fifth. The Spartans had two outs and none on in the top of the fifth, yet managed to piece together a three-run rally. Chase Kyriacou drew a walk from Shane Davies to get things started. Kyriacou then stole second and scored on an RBI double by Markel, his team-leading seventh two-bagger of the season. That started a string of three straight RBI hits for NSU. Cameron Day knocked in Markel with a single. Day then swiped second base and scored on a Kyle Vaas single to make it 4-1.

But the Eagles would rally, as they did much of the day. They plated two runs on five hits in the bottom of the fifth to chase NSU starter Justin Bhatti. Zach Hawk's RBI double and Chris Kashangaki's run-scoring single drew the Eagles within 4-3, but Morton got Daniel Hamlett to strike out looking to end the threat.

NSU got what proved to be the winning run in the top of the eighth. Vaas was hit by a pitch to start the inning, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Tyon Ore and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Second baseman Killian Strenn followed with a sacrifice fly to plate Vaas and make it 5-3.

That run was crucial because the Eagles scored in the bottom of the eighth. Dalton Cozart led off the frame with a single and went to third on Hamlett's double. Applin relieved Morton with runners on second and third and no outs. An Applin wild pitch allowed Cozart to score and Hamlett to move to third. But Applin got a groundout, a strikeout and a foulout to hold the lead for the Spartans.

Applin yielded a lead-off single to Jay Maletz to start the bottom of the ninth, then promptly picked him off. He then recorded two straight groundouts to pick up his second save of the year.

One day after picking up the save in the series opener, Morton (2-1) allowed one run in 2.1 innings of relief and fanned four to earn the win. Applin pitched two scoreless innings for the save.

Markel was 3-for-5, Day 2-for-4, Ryan Montgomery 2-for-3 and Strenn had two RBI for the Spartans.

Cozart, Hamlett and Jack Kraft had two hits apiece for CSU in the opener.

Game two was a back-and-forth affair. The Eagles grabbed the momentum right away with a run in the first and three more in the second off Spartan starter Richie Salter. But the Spartans tied it up with a four-run third off CSU's Yahya Muhammad. Muhammad hit Justin Lee and walked Mikey Bruno and Markel to load the bases. Day responded with a two-run double, then Vaas' sacrifice fly made it 4-3. Day then scored on a two-out wild pitch to tie the game.

But CSU scored four times in the fourth despite managing just one hit. Salter walked a batter and hit another before leaving the game with one out. Reliever Cooper Jones yielded a single to Hamlett and then walked Alex Brown with the bases loaded to force in one run. It was the first of two bases-loaded walks Jones issued in the inning. The Eagles also plated a run thanks to an NSU error and a Jones wild pitch in the frame to go up 8-4.

Kashangaki walked and scored on another wild pitch in the fifth to give the Eagles a 9-4 edge before NSU rallied in the sixth. Cody Ellis hit an RBI single and Robert Barefoot scored on a wild pitch to bring the Spartans within 9-6. But Eagles' reliever Will Grebenstein worked out of a one-out, two-on jam to limit the damage, and the Spartans would not score again.

Grebenstein (1-0) allowed four hits and two runs, one earned, in two innings to get the win for CSU. Michael Roberts worked the final 1.2 innings scoreless for the save.

Salter (3-3) gave up six hits and six runs, all earned, in 3.1 innings to take the loss.

Colin Dower had two hits for CSU and Strenn was 2-for-4 for NSU in the nightcap.

The Spartans play an exhibition game against the Triple-A Norfolk Tides on Tuesday night for their only mid-week game this week. Gates open at 5:15 p.m. and first pitch is slated for 6:15 at Harbor Park. Tickets are $7.