Norfolk State University Athletics

NORFOLK, Va. – Lehigh's bats awakened on Sunday afternoon, recording 26 hits as the Mountain Hawks earned a weekend split with Norfolk State by taking both ends of a doubleheader at Marty L. Miller Field by scores of 11-5 and 19-3.

Alsander Womack, Justin Hayes and Justin Burrell each had three hits on the day for NSU (2-13), with Burrell recording his second home run of the day with a two-run blast in game one. The Spartans took the first two games of the series on Saturday.

Ryan Malloy homered twice and drove in eight runs in game two for the Mountain Hawks (6-8), including a grand slam, while James Bleming also homered in game two and drove in five on the day.
 
Game 1: Lehigh 11, NSU 5
Lehigh utilized four big innings to score all its runs, plating two in the first and three in the fourth, sixth and ninth innings. The Mountain Hawks scored two right off the bat on an RBI single by Blake Rapoport, but NSU answered with three in the bottom of the second to take the lead. Tony Leite reached on an error and later scored on a balk. Burrell, who singled and stole second, came home on an error and Ismael Herrera scored on a wild pitch.

But the Mountain Hawks retook the lead for good in the fourth on RBI singles by Tony Gallo and Chris Kersey and a sacrifice fly by Jeff Shanfeldt. Bleming's sacrifice fly and Shanfeldt's RBI double sparked a three-run sixth for Lehigh.

The Spartans scored their final two runs in the eighth on Burrell's two-run home run.

Gallo tripled two more home as Lehigh tacked on three more in the ninth.

Gallo had three RBI, and both he and Rapoport had two hits apiece. Burrell and Hayes had two hits each for NSU.

Jason Reynolds (2-2) earned the win for Lehigh, striking out nine and allowing three unearned runs in six innings. Trey Hanchey (0-4) took the loss for the Spartans, yielding eight hits and five runs with four strikeouts in four innings.

Game 2: Lehigh 19, NSU 5
Both teams started quickly in the nightcap. Kersey led off the game with a double and scored on Bleming's RBI groundout. But the Spartans got two back in the bottom of the frame. Womack hit a one-out triple and scored on Stephen Baughan's RBI single. Baughan scored from second base on a two-out Lehigh error.

Then it was Lehigh's turn, scoring two its own in the top of the second. Malloy drew a walk and Quinn McKenna followed with a single. Gallo singled in Malloy, and McKenna scored on a fielder's choice for a 3-2 Lehigh lead.

The Mountain Hawks extended their lead in the fourth on a two-run homer by Malloy as part of a three-run inning. Bleming added a solo homer and a sacrifice fly in Lehigh's seven-run fifth and Malloy hit a grand slam in a six-run seventh for Lehigh.

Womack was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored in the nightcap and finished the day 3-for-8. Hayes, who doubled in game two, and Burrell both went 3-for-7 in the doubleheader.

Matt Ratner struck out six over five innings to get the win for Lehigh. Tyler Morgan gave up five earned runs over 3.2 innings to take the loss in his first start of the year for the Spartans.

The Spartans return to action next weekend when they open MEAC Northern Division play with a three-game series at Delaware State.