PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – The Norfolk State baseball team earned its third consecutive victory on Saturday afternoon, outlasting Maryland Eastern Shore in 11 innings to come away with a 4-2 win.
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NSU (6-11, 3-2 NEC) overcame a 2-0 deficit, thanks to a tremendous pitching performance by the Spartan staff. As a team, the Spartans allowed nine hits, two earned runs, and just one walk over the course of 11 innings.
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Maryland Eastern Shore (0-13, 0-2) produced two solo home runs in the span of three at-bats during the second inning, taking the momentum quickly.
John Horton bounced back immediately on the mound, striking out the next two batters.
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Jamal Ritter launched his fourth home run of the season to get the Spartans on the board in the third inning, before
Justin Journette singled home
Jalan Jones in the next frame to tie things up.
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Horton continued to stifle Hawks hitters, throwing a 1-2-3 sixth inning before another scoreless seventh frame. The Virginia Beach native finished the afternoon with seven strikeouts, a season high for the right hander.
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Ethan Blakeney took the mound from there, pitching 2.1 scoreless innings. The freshman allowed just one hit, tallying three strikeouts.
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The game went into extra frames, as both teams pushed to get that crucial go-ahead run. Norfolk State finally received that boost in the 11
th inning.
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Jones,
Cam Mazell, and Journette loaded the bases for the Spartans with no outs, before
Raphael Rodriguez delivered an RBI single.
Swaroop Pujari brought Mazell home with a sacrifice fly immediately after, putting the Spartans ahead by two.
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Nolan Manzer finished the afternoon for Norfolk State, after entering the game in relief during the 10
th inning. The senior closed things up with no issue, giving up no hits on the way to earning his second winning decision of the season.
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Up Next
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Norfolk State and Maryland Eastern Shore will conclude their series on Sunday afternoon, with first pitch slated for 1 p.m.
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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.
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