NORFOLK, Va. – Chris Horne threw Norfolk State's first complete-game shutout in five years in a 5-0 win in game one, but Maryland Eastern Shore rebounded with an 8-6 victory in game two to earn a split of the teams' MEAC Northern Division baseball doubleheader on Saturday at Marty L. Miller Field.

Horne tossed a two-hitter with just one walk in the opener, matching his career-best with seven strikeouts. He got plenty of help from his offense, which scored all five of its runs in the first three innings. Cameron Day had three hits, two doubles and scored twice, Kyle Vaas knocked in three runs, and both Tyon Ore and Killian Strenn had two hits for the Spartans (12-20, 7-7 MEAC).

NSU got on the board thanks to a two-out rally in the bottom of the first. Zach Markel walked and Day singled to put two runners on. Vaas, NSU's freshman designated hitter, then blasted a two-run double deep into the gap in right-center field off UMES (6-31, 3-11) starter Chris Lopez (1-5).

The Spartans tacked on three more in the bottom of the third with the middle of the order again serving as the catalyst. Markel led off with a single and moved to third on a Day double. Vaas knocked in Markel with a sacrifice fly, and Day scored on a single by Ore. Strenn followed with a deep double into the left-field corner that brought in Ryan Montgomery, who had walked.

UMES threatened in the top of the fifth, putting runners on the corners with one out thanks to a single by Jeffrey Fleetwood and an NSU error. But Horne fanned the next three hitters to keep the Hawks scoreless.

That would be the only time the Hawks threatened against Horne, who tossed the first complete-game shutout by a Spartan pitcher since Quinn Bright did it in April of 2008 against Savannah State.

In game two, UMES scored twice in the top of the seventh on two-out RBI hits from Stephen Bull and Mike Escanilla to cap a back-and-forth game.

The Hawks scored a pair of unearned runs in the top of the first. Spartan starter Richie Salter appeared to get out of the inning twice, but a two-out NSU error allowed Escanilla, who reached earlier on a single, to score from third. Then Salter got a swinging third strike from Jeffrey Fleetwood, but the pitch got away from NSU catcher Robert Barefoot, allowing Fleetwood to reach first and Tre-von Johnson to score.

The Hawks kept their momentum going in the second. Escanilla singled home Thomas Gray with two outs to give UMES a 3-0 lead.

But NSU responded with five singles and a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second to tie the game. Robert Barefoot and Mikey Bruno delivered run-scoring singles and Justin Lee hit a sacrifice fly to tie things up. Day, Ore and Montgomery all singled and scored in the frame.

Both teams scored twice in the fourth. Johnson had a sacrifice fly and Brandon Schott a run-scoring single for the Hawks, but Strenn's two-out, two-run double for NSU knotted the score at 5-all in the bottom of the inning.

UMES retook the lead in the sixth. Escanilla led off with a flare into left-center, which Bruno dove for but couldn't grab. Escanilla ended up on third with a triple and scored when Johnson doubled to the gap in right-center.

NSU tied it again in the bottom of the sixth. UMES relievers Jesus Hernandez and Devin Repine combined to walk the bases loaded, and Strenn knocked in Montgomery with a groundout to tie the game. But Repine struck out Markel to end the threat.

Then it was the Hawks' turn to respond. NSU reliever Troy Applin (1-2) retired the first two hitters, but Dustin Aigner singled and scored on Bull's long triple to right field. Escanilla followed with an infield single to plate Bull, making it 8-6.

Repine worked around singles by Ore and Montgomery in the bottom of the seventh to earn the win. He worked two innings and allowed just two hits and no runs.

Applin allowed three hits and two runs in two innings of work to take the loss.

Escanilla was 4-for-4 with two runs and two RBI, Johnson was 3-for-4 with two RBI, and Aigner, Bull and Connor Breslin had two hits apiece in game two.

Strenn had a career-best three RBI, while Ore, Montgomery and Bruno had two hits apiece in the nightcap. Ore and Day both went 4-for-8 combined during the doubleheader.

The teams wrap up their series with a game at noon Sunday.