FARMVILLE, Va. – The Norfolk State baseball team lost a back-and-forth battle with Longwood on Tuesday, 8-6 at Buddy Bolding Stadium.
Justin Journette tallied four RBIs to lead the Spartans offensively, while freshman
Jalan Jones and junior
Brendan Burke each went 3-of-5 for the day. Norfolk State outhit Longwood 13-6 on Tuesday.
The Spartans (7-17, 4-5 NEC) struck first, thanks to a leadoff double from
Jamal Ritter. Journette singled to center field to bring the leadoff man.
Longwood (12-13, 2-4 Big South) scored in the bottom half of the inning to even the game up quickly, but the Spatans responded right back in the second. After
Cam Mazell and
Brendan Burke got on base, the former reached home on a single by Jones to put the Spartans ahead 2-1.
Liam Royster, Norfolk State's starter on Tuesday, found a rhythm after the first frame. The right-hander tossed scoreless second and third innings, before going 1-2-3 in the fourth and fifth innings.
Royster left the game after five innings of work, allowing just three hits, two walks, and one earned run.
Collin Hughes tied the game up with a solo home run immediately after Royster's departure. Casey Gibbs hit a double to give Longwood its first lead of the evening moments later, before the Lancers went ahead 4-2 on a wild pitch shortly after.
Longwood added three more runs in the next inning, taking advantage of multiple walks and a hit batter. The burst put the home team firmly in control, holding a 7-2 lead.
Journette cut into the gap with a three-run home run in the eighth inning, scoring Jones and
Swaroop Pujari. It marked the sophomore's second consecutive game with a homer.
Brendan Burke also recorded back-to-back games with a bomb, launching a solo blast in the ninth inning. Reid Dittner earned the save for the Lancers, striking out the next batter to close out the evening.
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