DURHAM, N.C. – Norfolk State avenged an earlier loss to North Carolina Central, combining clutch pitching with timely hitting and heady base running in a 4-3 road win over the Eagles at the Durham Athletic Park on Wednesday night.

The Spartans (10-19) notched their first mid-week win of the season in a cross-divisional game against the Eagles (20-16), who own the most overall wins of any MEAC team to this point and defeated NSU 20-7 on March 27. 

NSU scored the winning run with some aggressive play in the top of the eighth. Tony Leite singled and later stood at third with one out after an infield single by Syeed Mahdi. The Spartans attempted a squeeze bunt but were unable to get it down. But Leite, who was in a rundown between third and home, avoided the catcher's tag and scored to make it a 4-3 game.

The Spartans made that lead stand up. Freshman reliever Joey Santos, the fourth NSU pitcher of the game, struck out three in two scoreless innings of relief to earn the save, his fourth of the season. Santos worked around two singles in the eighth, ending the inning with back-to-back strikeouts. Then with a runner on third and two outs in the ninth, he coaxed Dominic Cuevas to fly out to center to end it.

NCCU opened a 2-0 lead in the second off NSU starter Seth Hockett on run-scoring singles by Evan Holland and Carter Williams. NSU cut its deficit to 2-1 in the top of the third when Justin Hayes, who led off the inning with a single, scored on a two-out wild pitch by the Eagles' Austin Vernon.

NSU then took its first lead of the night in the fourth on a two-run homer by freshman outfielder Khie Simms, the first of his career. Simms' homer scored catcher Ismael Herrera, who walked with one out.

The Eagles knotted the score at 3-all in the bottom of the fifth on a one-out RBI double by Jacob Raby.

But that would be all the potent NCCU offense could muster off the Spartan pitchers. Hockett went a season-high 4.1 innings in his second career start, striking out a career-best four hitters. Jonathan Mahoney struck out two batters in the bottom of the fifth after Raby's hit, stranding a pair of Eagles in scoring position to keep the game tied.

Chase Anderson (4-3) worked a scoreless sixth and seventh innings, striking out two to pick up the win before Santos closed the door. NSU's four pitchers combined for 11 strikeouts.

Second baseman Alsander Womack was 3-for-4 with two stolen bases to lead the Spartan offense. Leite went 2-for-4 with a stolen base.

Holland had three of the 12 hits for NCCU.

The Spartans are back home for a three-game MEAC North series on Saturday and Sunday against Maryland Eastern Shore. Saturday's 1 p.m. doubleheader is also NSU Baseball Alumni Day at Marty L. Miller Field.