DOVER, Del. – Chase Anderson flirted with a no-hitter for the second straight start in game one, and Jonathan Mahoney pitched a complete game in the nightcap to lead the Norfolk State baseball team to a 10-2, 6-1 doubleheader sweep of Delaware State in the MEAC openers for both teams on Saturday afternoon at Soldier Field.

The Spartans (4-13, 2-0 MEAC North) outhit DSU (2-16, 0-2) 13-1 in the opener before using a five-run fifth in game two to surge ahead and complete the sweep. Freshmen Alsander Womack and Aaron Robinson led the offense with four hits apiece on the afternoon.

Game 1: NSU 10, DSU 2
Anderson (2-2) retired the first 12 batters he faced and allowed just one hit, a fifth-inning single, in 7.2 innings pitched. The reigning MEAC Pitcher of the Week, who did not yield a hit until the seventh inning in his previous start, struck out six and allowed two runs, one earned.

The Spartan offense set the tone with three runs in the top of the first. Justin Hayes led off the game with a double, stole third and scored on Womack's RBI groundout. Two more runs scored in the frame thanks in part to three DSU errors.

Robinson led off the third with a single and scored on a double by Tony Leite, who had two hits in the game. Justin Burrell's RBI single stretched NSU's lead to 5-0 in the fifth before the Hornets could manage their first hit off Anderson. That hit, though, came on Jared Gillis' lead-off single in the bottom of the fifth. Miguel Rivera, who was hit by a pitch, scored DSU's first run later in the inning on a two-out bases-loaded walk, one of four free passes issued by Anderson.

But NSU tacked on three more runs in the sixth to widen the margin. Womack led off with a single and Stephen Baughan doubled. They came around to score on sacrifice flies by Robinson and Leite. Ismael Herrera added an RBI single in the inning to make it 8-1.

The Hornets scored an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth to get within 8-2, but Womack's RBI double in the seventh and Baughan's RBI single in the ninth closed the scoring.

Womack was 3-for-6 with two RBIs in game one. Baughan, Robinson and Leite each had two hits. The Spartans had a season-high six doubles among their 13 hits. Robinson, Leite and Hayes each scored twice.

Lane DeLeon took the loss for DSU after allowing eight hits and eight runs, six earned, in 5.2 innings.

Game 2: NSU 6, DSU 1
Mahoney (2-3) pitched his first complete game at NSU, going all seven innings and pitching a four-hitter. He walked two and struck out one. 

Both teams scored a run in the third. Womack led off the top of the frame with a double and scored on an RBI single by Robinson. The Hornets tied the game in the bottom of the inning on Darnell Maisonet's RBI double.

But NSU took control with a five-run fifth. Womack reached on an error to lead off the inning. After a single by Robinson, Womack scored on a sacrifice fly by Burrell. A walk to Leite kept the inning going, and catcher Toby Buchanan's RBI single gave NSU a 3-1 lead. Third baseman Johnny Mayer had the big blow in the frame, a two-run triple, and he later scored on a Hornet error to make it 6-1.

That was more than enough for Mahoney, who allowed just two hits in his final four innings of work.

Robinson went 2-for-3 and Mayer 2-for-4 with two RBIs in the nightcap. Womack scored a pair of runs.

The teams play the series finale at noon on Sunday.