Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 NORFOLK, Va. – Delaware State pounded out 16 hits in the opener, then held Norfolk State to two hits in the nightcap in sweeping a MEAC Northern Division doubleheader from the Spartans, 9-5 and 5-3 on Saturday afternoon at Marty L. Miller Field.
 
Austin Bentley had four hits in the opener for DSU (2-16, 2-0 MEAC) and Jacob Bartlett had two RBI in both games, which were the first of conference season for both teams. Justin Lee had two RBI on the day for the Spartans (6-12, 0-2).
 
In game one, Delaware State jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the third, and scored in six of the first seven innings altogether. DSU scored three two-out runs in the first as Bentley hit an RBI double and Sam Barber and Bartlett tacked on run-scoring singles.
 
The Spartans got an RBI single by Syeed Mahdi for their first run in the third inning, then plated three runs in the fifth to get within 6-4. Lee hit an RBI single and scored on a dropped fly ball by the Hornets. Mahdi capped the scoring in the inning with a sacrifice fly.
 
But DSU added one run in the sixth and two more in the seventh to keep NSU at bay. Bartlett hit another RBI single in the sixth. In the seventh, Bentley hit an RBI single of his own and Barber added a sacrifice fly.
 
Lane DeLeon (1-2) earned the victory on the mound for DSU, pitching five-plus innings and allowing six hits and four runs, two earned. He struck out seven. Cole Davis struck out five batters in 2.2 innings of relief, and Hunter McVey retired all four batters he faced for his first save of the year.
 
Matt Outman (1-2) took the loss for NSU, allowing six runs (five earned) in five innings pitched.
 
Chase Anderson fanned five batters in 3.2 innings of relief for NSU. Mahdi went 2-for-4 with two RBI in the opener for the Spartans.
 
In the nightcap, NSU leadoff batter Denathan Dukes singled to start the bottom of the first inning, but NSU did not get another hit until the seventh inning.
 
The Hornets scratched across two runs in the fourth off NSU starter Devin Hemmerich (0-3). Cameron Onderko walked to lead off the inning and advanced to third on a single by Chris Panzarella. With two outs, Bartlett's flare into right center scored both Onderko and Panzarella with the game's first two runs.
 
NSU got on the board in the bottom of the inning as Brian Beard walked, stole second, advanced to third on a DSU error and scored on Tony Leite's groundout to cut the Spartans' deficit in half. But DSU got the run back in the fifth on Rich Rountree's RBI single.
 
Onderko gave the Hornets insurance with a two-out, two-run single in the seventh. DSU would need it, as NSU scored twice thanks to two Hornet errors in the bottom of the seventh. But McVey retired the last two batters of the inning to get his second save of the day.
 
Ragins (1-2) got the win by pitching 3.1 innings of relief. Hemmerich took the loss, allowing five runs (four earned) in 6.1 innings pitched while striking out seven.
 
Bartlett and Onderko had two RBI apiece in the nightcap.
 
Dukes and Leite had the hits for NSU in game two. Dukes also stole three bases on the day for the Spartans, two in the first game and one in the nightcap.
 
The teams play game three of their series on Sunday starting at 12 p.m., weather permitting.