NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State won a wild back-and-forth affair with Delaware State on a walk-off wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning to take the opener of the teams' doubleheader on Friday at Marty L. Miller Field.
The Hornets bounced back to win game two, 6-2.
Game one featured several swings in momentum. NSU (21-26, 17-10 MEAC) opened the score with an RBI single by
Alsander Womack in the third and then plated three runs in the fourth. The inning included a run-scoring single by
Danny Hosley and an RBI double by
Khie Simms.
But the Hornets scored six runs in the fifth, five with two outs, to surge in front. Jared Gillis hit a two-run single and Mike Worthington tripled in two in the frame to give DSU a 6-4 lead.
The Spartans knotted it up in the bottom of the fifth. Two walks, a hit batter, a wild pitch and passed ball led to a pair of NSU runs and tied the game at 6.
DSU retook the lead at 7-6 on a sacrifice fly by Trey Paige in the sixth. But the Spartans answered in their final at-bat against Hornet closer Chandler Fitzgerald.
Jacob Council and
Danny Hosley drew a pair of one-out walks. Simms singled in pinch runner
Jaran Davis to tie the score. Hosley advanced to third and Simms to second on a passed ball, and one out later, Hosley scored on a wild pitch by Fitzgerald.
Simms finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Brown was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Hosley reached base four times, going 2-for-2 with a pair of walks and two runs scored.
Hosley, who started on the mound, earned the no-decision despite striking out eight in five innings. Freshman
Nolan Manzer (1-1) earned his first career win with two innings of relief. He allowed one run but no hits.
In the nightcap, NSU gained the early edge on a sacrifice fly by
Ty Hanchey in the bottom of the first, but the Hornets scored the next five runs. Only one came via a batted ball, a sacrifice fly by Miguel Rivera in the second. A passed ball allowed a second run to score in that frame, while two bases-loaded walks and a bases-loaded hit batter in the third gave DSU a 5-1 lead.
Womack singled in a run in the third, but Rivera homered in the sixth to complete the scoring.
Jordan Haddaway (4-3) earned the win for DSU, pitching all seven innings and allowing just four hits and one earned run.
Justin Walton (1-3) took the loss after yielding five runs in 2.2 innings pitched.
Gillis was 3-for-4 and Rivera went 2-for-2 with three RBIs in the second game for DSU. Womack finished 2-for-4 for the Spartans.
The teams conclude the regular season with an 11 a.m. game Saturday at War Memorial Stadium in Hampton.
