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NORFOLK, Va. – Chris Horne pitched seven strong innings, and Norfolk State held off North Carolina Central for a 5-4 victory in the first round of the MEAC Baseball Tournament on Wednesday morning at Marty L. Miller Field.

The Spartans (19-27) advance to a 12:30 p.m. game Thursday against Savannah State, which beat Maryland Eastern Shore 3-1 later on Wednesday.

Horne (5-5) allowed seven hits and three runs, just one earned, in seven-plus innings. He walked none and struck out two. Spartan closer Ray Morton worked around three hits in the ninth as the Spartans held on.

The Spartans got on the board first with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second. Cameron Day reached on an Eagle error to start the inning, then stole second base. Cody Ellis followed with an RBI triple deep into the right-field corner. Tyon Ore followed with a single over the drawn-in infield put NSU on top, 2-0.

But the Eagles (25-28) quickly answered with three runs in the top of the third, thanks to three hits and two Spartan errors. Cory Williamson singled to lead off the inning, then scored when NSU threw away Akeem Hood's bunt single. Troy Marrow gave the Eagles their first lead with a two-out, two-run single up the middle.

Zach Markel, though, gave the Spartans the lead again with a two-run double in the bottom of the third, scoring Andre' Moore and Killian Strenn, who both walked.

Both pitchers, NSU's Horne and NCCU's Glenn Frye, settled down after that, as neither team scored again until NSU tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh. Robert Reaume led off with a single, and pinch runner Mikey Bruno went to second on a wild pitch. Moore followed with a well-placed bunt single to third base, moving Bruno to third. Justin Lee followed with a sacrifice fly to right, pushing NSU's lead to 5-3.

NCCU made it interesting in the ninth, as Carter Williamson and Eric Kimber led off with singles, and Dylan Drayton loaded the bases with a one-out infield hit. Cory Williamson knocked in pinch runner Kory Wood with a sacrifice fly, but Morton induced a groundout from Hood to end things.

The save was Morton's sixth of the season.

Frye allowed seven hits and five runs, four earned, in seven innings.

Ore went 2-for-4 for the Spartans, while Markel knocked in two. Marrow and Drayton had two hits each for the Eagles, who play UMES at 9 a.m. Thursday.