NORFOLK, Va. – Toby Hoskins pitched a six-hitter and struck out seven to help Maryland Eastern Shore avoid a three-game weekend sweep by Norfolk State and take the finale of their series, 8-2, on Sunday at
Marty L. Miller Field.
Avery Tunnell had three hits and Dominic DeBlaise had two, including a two-run homer, for the Hawks (8-28, 5-10 MEAC North). Six different players had one hit each for the Spartans (12-20, 9-6), who had their three-game winning streak snapped.
A heavy rain started minutes before first pitch but it didn't stop MDES from getting out of the gates quickly. Tyler Friis doubled to lead off the game and scored when NSU threw away a sacrifice bunt attempt. Dwayne Marshall's sacrifice fly gave the Hawks a 2-0 lead in the first.
Play was eventually halted with one out in the top of the third and the teams endured a rain delay of 1 hour, 18 minutes. When play resumed, the Spartans got an RBI double from
Alsander Womack in the third and a sacrifice fly by
Syeed Mahdi in the fourth to tie the game at 2-all.
But the Hawks went ahead for good with a three-run sixth that included two hits and two errors. DeBlaise led off with a double and scored on an NSU error. Dillon Oxyer later walked with the bases loaded to force in another run and Joey Nicastro's squeeze bunt capped the uprising.
The Hawks tacked on three more in the ninth, two on DeBlaise's second homer of the year.
Hoskins walked just one batter, hit three and scattered six hits and two runs in the complete-game effort.
Trey Hanchey (0-6) was saddled with the loss after yielding five runs, just one earned, in 5.1 innings pitched. He struck out six, one shy of his career high.
Stephen Baughan and
Mikey Delgado both went 1-for-3 with a run scored for the Spartans. Womack and Mahdi had the team's two RBIs, and both Womack and
Ismael Herrera doubled on the afternoon.
The Spartans play a 6 p.m. game at William & Mary on Tuesday night.
