DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Jonathan Mahoney struck out nine batters over six innings, the Norfolk State bullpen allowed just one baserunner and the Spartans (23-24) scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh in a 7-2 win over Florida A&M in NSU's MEAC Tournament opener on Thursday evening at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
 
The seventh inning proved decisive on Thursday. Trey Hanchey pitched a perfect top half of the frame on only 11 pitches – blunting FAMU's momentum after the Rattlers (23-32) struck for a two-run home run in the sixth – before letting the Spartan bats go to work.
 
NSU then scored four runs on the strength of only two hits in the bottom of the frame to see their lead balloon to 7-2.
 
"Our guys love close games, and it seems like we thrive in those," head coach Keith Shumate said. "Every bit of the game was fun. I thought Trey Hanchey's inning was a big inning, and once we scored after that it gave us a lot of momentum."
 
Back-to-back singles from Justin Hayes and Alsander Womack put runners on the corners with only one out and chased FAMU starter Josh Hancock from the game. Hancock's replacement, Morgan Mendez, faced four batters without recording an out. Mendez walked Caleb Ward to load the bases before hitting Stephen Baughan to score Hayes. The Rattler reliever then issued two more run-scoring free passes before exiting the game.
 
Now facing Chris Clark, Adam Collins capped NSU's big inning with a perfectly-executed squeeze bunt to bring home Baughan.
 
"It's our team connection," Ward said. "You can see the points in the game when we all come together. We can fire it up just like that."
 
Tyler Morgan closed out the game with two no-fuss innings of relief. The junior lefty allowed a lone walk and set FAMU down in order in the top of the ninth, ending the game with his second strikeout of the day.
 
The Spartans, the No. 1 seed out of the Northern Division, took control of the game early with two runs in the bottom of the first.
 
FAMU, the Southern Division's No. 2 seed, left the door open for NSU after dropping a fly ball that would have been the second out of the inning. Ward, the next batter, watched two pitches go outside of the strike zone before turning on a Hancock delivery and depositing it well beyond the fence in left field. With one swing of the bat, the Spartans led 2-0 and would not relinquish the lead.
 
"It's good to get a hot start in the tournament because it's going to help the team win," Ward said. "When I'm up there I'm just trying to do what I can for the team. I'm just trying to help the team win and make history."
 
Mahoney was dominant in his first inning, striking out two and recording the third out via a weak fly out to third base, but the senior hurler battled through the rest of the game. Mahoney recorded two quick outs in the second before plunking one batter and walking another. He escaped that inning with a groundout before stranding runners on first and second in the following inning.
 
The NSU offense gifted Mahoney another run in the bottom of the third – combining clutch two-out hitting with another Rattler miscue. With two outs, Ward singled into left before an errant throw on a pickoff attempt allowed him to advance all the way to third base, where he scored on a single from Baughan.
 
Ward and Baughan each finished the game with two hits – Ward was robbed of a third by a leaping catch at the warning track in straightaway center field – and both Spartans drove in two runs. Ward scored three times, and Baughan crossed home plate once.
 
Womack was the third NSU player with two hits in the contests and finished 2-for-5 with two runs scored.
 
Mahoney sandwiched a Kaycee Reese double between a pair of strikeouts in the in the fourth before stranding another baserunner in the fifth. However, Reese emerged victorious in his next plate appearance in the sixth inning – taking Mahoney long for a two-run homer that made the score 3-2.
 
Reese accounted for half of FAMU's hits on Thursday, finishing the game 2-for-3 with a walk, one run scored and two driven in.
 
Mahoney (6-4) earned the victory after allowing two runs on four hits with one walk and nine strikeouts in six innings of work.
 
Hancock (5-6) took the loss and was charged with five runs, three earned, on eight hits and one walk with seven strikeouts in 6.1 innings of work.
 
With a berth in Saturday's championship on the line, the Spartans play North Carolina A&T, the No. 1 seed in the Southern Division, on Friday at 12 p.m.