Box Score NORFOLK, Va. – Matt Outman and Devin Hemmerich combined on a four-hitter, and Andre' Moore had three hits to lead a balanced offensive attack in Norfolk State's 6-1 win over North Carolina Central in the first round of the 2014 MEAC Baseball Tournament on Wednesday morning at Marty L. Miller Field.

The Spartans (20-24) advance to a winner's bracket game at 12:30 p.m. Thursday against Bethune-Cookman.

Outman (7-2) allowed just three hits and one run in 5.1 innings of work, fanning six. Hemmerich tossed the final 3.2 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out three.

NSU wasted little time getting on the board. Moore led off the bottom of the first with a triple to right-center. After a strikeout, Zach Markel lined an RBI double down the left-field line to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead.

The Spartans extended their lead to 3-0 with a pair of two-out runs in the bottom of the second. Singles by Cody Ellis and Justin Burrell put runners on first and third with one out. After NCCU starter Terry McNabb struck out Justin Lee for the second out, Moore hit a high chopper between McNabb and shortstop Zack Lee. The infield hit allowed Ellis to score from third. Chase Kyriacou followed with the fourth hit of the inning, a sharp single to right, to plate Burrell and make it 3-0.

After managing just one hit in the first four innings off Outman, the Eagles finally broke through in the top of the fifth. Kory Wood drew a one-out walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Lee. But Hemmerich relieved Outman and limited the damage to a single run.

The Spartans tacked on insurance with a run in the seventh and two more in the eighth. Pinch hitter Kyle Vaas led off the bottom of the seventh with a single off McNabb's leg. Pinch runner Denathan Dukes was sacrificed to second. With two outs, Moore reached based on an infield single to second, and NCCU second baseman Cory Williamson's throw to first was wild, allowing Dukes to score to make it 4-1.

Both NSU runs in the eighth came with two outs. Cameron Day singled with two outs and scored on Ross Cardwell's long double to left field. Ellis followed with a triple deep down the right-field line that made it 6-1.

McNabb (2-9) took the loss for NCCU. He allowed 13 hits and six runs, five earned, in 7.2 innings pitched. He walked none and fanned seven.

NSU out-hit the Eagles (18-32-1) 13-4. Burrell was 2-for-2 while Ellis and Markel were both 2-for-4. Lee was 1-for-3 with two steals for the Eagles.

NCCU faces the loser of the BCU-UMES game at 9 a.m. Thursday in an elimination contest.