Box Score PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – Norfolk State scored eight runs in the fourth inning and never looked back in taking an 11-2 victory over Maryland Eastern Shore in game one of the teams' MEAC Northern Division series on Friday afternoon at Hawk Stadium.
 
Alex Mauricio tied his career with three hits in a 3-for-5 day that included three run-scoring singles. Roger Hall hit two doubles and scored two runs, and Brian Beard went 2-for-4 with two RBI for the Spartans (7-12, 1-2 MEAC), who snapped a three-game losing skid.
 
Mike Escanilla had two hits for UMES (5-15, 1-2).
 
The Spartans picked up their first run in the top of the second. Kyle Vaas was hit by a pitch to start the inning, took second on a wild pitch and advanced to third on a flyout. Angelo Rosario's groundout allowed Vaas to score the first run of the game.
 
The floodgates opened for NSU in the fourth off UMES starter Chris Melrath. Hall led off the inning with the first of his two doubles on the day, and one batter later, Mauricio singled him in. Melrath later committed an error and walked a batter to load the bases. Denathan Dukes delivered an RBI single and Syeed Mahdi was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to allow two more runs to score, but NSU was just getting started. Beard added a two-run single, Hall stroked an RBI double and Mauricio tacked on another RBI single to cap the eight-run inning, matching the biggest of the season for NSU.
 
Mauricio and Vaas hit run-scoring singles in the sixth for the Spartans, who out-hit UMES 11-6.
 
Matt Outman (2-2) picked up the win with seven strong innings of work. He allowed six hits and two runs while walking two batters and striking out four. The win was the 18th in Outman's career, moving him into a fifth-place tie with Luke Foss, James Harris and Dwight Cherry on the school's all-time wins list.
 
Matt Boone pitched a scoreless eighth and Beard tossed a scoreless ninth in his first career pitching appearance for NSU.
 
The teams play a doubleheader starting at noon on Saturday.