DOVER, Del. – Brandon Cleveland had season highs of five hits and five RBIs in Norfolk State's 11-4 win in the nightcap of Friday's doubleheader at Bob Reed Field, helping the Spartans earn a split of the day's games.
Cleveland, NSU's leadoff hitter, tallied four singles and a double in his 5-for-5 performance and
Jacob Council homered for the second time in as many days in the Spartans' game 2 win. DSU won the opener, 7-4.
Cleveland led off game 2 with a single and scored on a two-run blast by Council, his third of the year. Cleveland singled and scored on a
Tanner Brandon sacrifice fly in the third and Council doubled in a run as well as NSU (11-22, 8-11 MEAC) opened up a 4-1 lead.
Cleveland turned into a run-producer in the fourth, hitting an RBI double in another two-run frame for NSU. He tacked on a two-run single in a three-run sixth inning and added another two-run single in the seventh.
Cleveland is the first Spartan with five hits in a game since Chase Kyriacou against UMES on March 24, 2013. The five hits are one shy of the school single-game record held by Brandon Hairston (vs. Coppin State on April 11, 2011).
In addition, Cleveland's five RBIs are most by a Spartan this year.
Council went 3-for-4 with three RBIs for NSU. Other offensive standouts included
Dominic Joseph (2-for-4, two RBIs),
Kam Walker (1-for-3, three runs) and Brandon (two RBIs).
Spartan righty
Zac Capps (1-4) earned his first win of the season in the nightcap. He pitched a season-best 6.1 innings, allowed seven hits and four runs and struck out three.
In the first game of the day, NSU took a 3-0 lead after two innings. Brandon blasted a solo homer in the first and
Robert Beatty's RBI single highlighted a two-run second for NSU.
But the Hornets scored six runs in the third through fifth innings. Mason Brewer hit a three-run double in the fifth for the go-ahead runs for the Hornets (13-16, 10-9).
Council was 2-for-4 in the first game. He and Cleveland both went 5-for-8 on the day.
The teams play the final game of their series at noon on Saturday.
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