NORFOLK, Va. – Visiting North Carolina Central scored nine runs in the first two innings en route to a 20-7 win over Norfolk State on Tuesday afternoon at Marty L. Miller Field.

NCCU (19-8) outhit the Spartans (7-15) 17-9 in the first of a non-conference, home and home series between the two teams which play in different divisions of the MEAC.

Carter Williams was 2-for-4 with five RBIs, Jordan Varela-Payne had three hits and three RBIs and Chris Wright also had three hits for NCCU. Aaron Robinson, Alsander Womack and Justin Hayes had two hits apiece for the Spartans. Womack and Robinson both doubled, and Robinson scored two runs.

The Eagles scored three times with just one hit in the top of the first. Varela-Payne had the first of his two doubles in the game to score the game's first run. Zach Michalski drove in another with a sacrifice fly and the third run scored on a two-out NSU error.

NCCU added to its lead with a six-run second. Eleven Eagles batted in the frame, with four reaching by either walks or hit-by-pitch. Varela-Payne drove in two with another double, Dominic Cuevas and Wright tacked on RBI singles and Corey Joyce hit a sacrifice fly as NCCU extended its lead to 9-0.

The Spartans got on the board in the second. Robinson led off the inning with a single and scored on a two-out dropped popup by the Eagles.

Spartan reliever Tyler Morgan kept the Eagles at bay with three straight scoreless innings before the Eagles added five more in the sixth, three on a two-out triple by Williams. Morgan struck out a career-high seven batters in 4.2 innings of relief work and surrendered two earned runs.

The Spartans' bats came to life in the later innings, scoring six runs in the sixth through eighth frames. In the sixth, Robinson doubled off the wall in left to score Womack, who walked to lead off the inning. After Tony Leite also drew a base on balls, Justin Burrell smacked a two-run double past the bag at third. Ismael Herrera added an RBI single to cap the four-run rally and bring NSU within 14-5.

Hayes led off the seventh with a single and scored on a wild pitch by the Eagles, and Womack hit an RBI single in the eighth.

Quenten Thomas (0-1) was charged with the loss in his first start of the season. He yielded eight runs in 1.1 innings pitched. Nick Caregnato (2-1) picked up the win in a pre-determined staff split for NCCU. He pitched two innings and allowed one unearned run with four strikeouts.

The Spartans host their first MEAC Northern Division series of the season this Friday and Saturday when Coppin State visits Marty L. Miller Field. The teams play a single game at 3 p.m. Friday and a doubleheader at noon Saturday.