NORFOLK, Va. – Visiting Mount St. Mary's scored six runs in the first and never looked back, topping the Norfolk State baseball team 14-4 on Saturday afternoon at Marty L. Miller Field.

The Mountaineers (1-1) scored eight runs total in the first three innings and held off the Spartans (1-1), evening the season-opening series between the teams at one game apiece.

MSM took advantage of three walks and three NSU miscues while Ty Stecko (single) and Aiden Tierney (double) both knocked in two runs in the six-run first.

The Mountaineers added single tallies in the second and third frames before NSU made things interesting in the middle innings. Manny Jackson and Swaroop Pujari notched NSU's first hits of the day in the fourth with back-to-back one-out singles. One batter later, Justin Journette brought them both home by blasting a two-out triple to right-center.

The hits kept coming for NSU in the bottom of the fifth. The Spartans strung together four more hits, the loudest being a two-run homer by lead-off batter Jamal Ritter – his second home run in as many days. That cut the MSM lead to 8-4.

But the Mountaineers stretched this lead back out with a five-run seventh, highlighted by a two-run single by Tierney.

NSU finished the day with 10 hits. Pujari led the way with a 3-for-4 effort, while Journette, Jackson and Camrin Sturgeon both had two hits each.

Right hander Liam Royster was strong on the mound in defeat, pitching a career-high five innings out of the bullpen. He allowed just one earned run and struck out five.

UP NEXT
The teams play the rubber game of their opening series Sunday, with a 12 p.m. start time at Marty L. Miller Field.

For complete coverage of Norfolk State Athletics, please follow the Spartans on social media at @nsuspartans (Twitter), /NorfolkStateAthletics (Facebook), @NSUAthletics (Instagram), @nsuathletics (YouTube) or visit the official home of Norfolk State Athletics at nsuspartans.com.