NORFOLK, Va. – Ridge Walker pitched seven strong innings, while Adam Collins and Ty Hanchey had a pair of hits each as the Norfolk State baseball team notched its first win of the season, 5-3, over Wagner on Saturday afternoon at Marty L. Miller Field.

Walker (1-0) struck out seven batters, his most as a Spartan, while scattering six hits and two runs. Hanchey knocked in two runs and Collins scored twice and stole two bases.

Sparked by the bottom of their order, the Spartans (1-1) scored twice in the bottom of the second and never trailed. Mason Velasquez singled and Korey Singh walked. With two outs, Collins, the eight-hole hitter, singled in Velasquez. Hanchey, who bats ninth, doubled in Singh to give NSU a 2-0 edge.

The Seahawks (1-1) scored single runs in the fourth and fifth off Walker, but NSU responded each time. Emil Matti's jam-shot double down the right field line scored Wagner's first run in the fourth. But the Spartans answered when Danny Hosley singled and scored when Collins reached on an error in the bottom of the inning.

Tyler Sanfilippo singled in a run in the fifth for Wagner to cut the deficit to 3-2. But in the bottom of the sixth, Collins doubled and scored on an RBI single by Hanchey.

Both teams scored single runs in the eighth. David Melfi hit an RBI single off NSU reliever James Deloatch in the top of the frame, but Brandon Crosby's run-scoring single plated Collins in the bottom of the inning for an insurance run for the Spartans.

Deloatch then worked around a pair of batters on base in the ninth to keep Wagner off the board and earn his first career save. He was aided by a diving catch down the right-field line by Alsander Womack, which provided the second out and saved at least one run.

Pat Gallagher (0-1) took the loss for the Seahawks, allowing four hits and three runs, two earned, in 3.1 innings pitched.

Collins finished 2-for-4 and Hanchey 2-for-3 for NSU. Both teams tallied eight hits.

The rubber game of the series begins with a noon first pitch on Sunday.