FARMVILLE, Va. – Alex Mauricio and Roger Hall combined for seven hits and seven RBI, and the Norfolk State baseball team used a big early advantage to hold off host Longwood 15-13 on Wednesday night at Buddy Bolding Stadium.

The Spartans (23-17) wrapped out 19 hits and came within both one hit and one run of matching their highest figures of the year, snapping an eight-game losing streak to Longwood (13-30) that dated to the 2011 season.

NSU scored nine times off eight hits in the second inning to stun the hosts. Mauricio hit a two-run single and Hall followed with a three-run homer – his second of the season – to punctuate the rally. Stephen Baughan also had a two-run single, while Tony Leite (hit by pitch) and Terrence Pinkston (walk) both were credited with RBI after forcing runners in with the bases loaded.

Longwood scored four times in the bottom of the second, but NSU answered right back with three more runs in the third. All the runs scored with two outs. Brian Beard hit an RBI single, Mauricio an RBI double, and Hall added a run-scoring single all in succession in the third before Pinkston hit an RBI single in the fourth to again give NSU a nine-run edge, this time at 13-4.

The Spartans led 14-5 after the road half of the fifth before the Lancers began chipping away. Antwaun Tucker's two-run single in the fifth, following by run-scoring hits by Ryan Shull and Brandon Harvell in the sixth, cut the Longwood deficit to 14-9.

NSU scored its final run of the night on Justin Burrell's RBI single in the top of the seventh, making the score 15-9. The game appeared in hand at that point, but the Lancers scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth to add an element of drama. With the tying runs on base, Beard – the fourth Spartan pitcher of the night – got the final two outs of the game on a flyout and a groundout to end it.

The win was the Spartans' first over Longwood since an 8-3 victory on May 14, 2011. Their 19 hits were the second-most of the year behind a 20-hit outburst at North Carolina A&T on April 19, and the 15 runs were one shy of NSU's season high of 16 at Coppin State on April 2.

Mauricio finished 4-for-6 with a double, a stolen base, a career-high four runs scored and three RBI. Hall batted 3-for-6 with a season-best four RBI. Burrell matched his career best with three hits, going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles.

In all, six Spartans had multi-hit games. Beard, Baughan and Leite added two hits apiece, while Baughan and Pinkston both knocked in two runs. All nine starters in the lineup had at least one hit and one run scored, and seven had at least one RBI.

Freshman lefty Tyler Morgan was credited with the first win of his collegiate career. He allowed two runs, one earned, in 1.1 innings of relief work. Quenten Thomas followed Morgan by pitching two scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

Starter Travis Riley (0-3) took the loss for the Lancers after allowing nine runs on seven hits in 1.2 innings of work. The Lancers were led at the plate by Tucker's two hits and four RBI.

The Spartans play their final MEAC Northern Division series of the season this Saturday and Sunday, needing just one win to secure their third straight regular-season divisional title.