NORFOLK, Va. – Farleigh Dickenson took the first two games of a conference series against Norfolk State on Friday with big performances at the plate, winning the matchups by scores of 11-1 and 28-5.
 
Inclement weather on Sunday's forecast shifted the series, forcing the teams to play a Friday doubleheader to open the series. Norfolk State (11-34, 6-20 NEC) tallied a pair of home runs across the afternoon, while Jamal Ritter logged three stolen bases against the Knights (17-27, 12-13).
 
Barham struck out the first two batters he faced in Game 1, getting out of the opening two frames unscathed. A solo home run from Jeremy Cheeseman got FDU on the board before Justin Sierra sent a two-run shot to left field moments later.
 
Ritter doubled down the right field line, stealing third immediately after. He scored on a wild pitch before the end of the third inning, Norfolk State's lone run of the first game.
 
The Knights added runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, taking a 7-1 lead. A pair of two-RBI hits put four more runs on the board for FDU in the eighth inning, closing the game out with a strong defensive showing.
 
Norfolk State struck first in the second game of the day, after Ritter stole both first and second base to take advantage of a Knight fielding error.
 
FDU found its rhythm again in the second inning, posting four runs on five hits, getting two baserunners across the plate on a defensive error. The Spartans answered right back however, when Brendan Burke launched a three-run homer to right field, tying the game 4-4.
 
A single with runners in scoring position pushed FDU ahead once again, but Justin Journette responded with a booming solo shot to left field in the bottom of the third inning. The bomb marked the sophomore's 13^th home run of the season, one off the conference lead.
 
Neither team could get anything going offensively in the fourth and fifth frames, but the Knights capitalized on two Spartan errors to score three runs in the sixth. FDU widened the gap with four runs in the seventh, before exploding for a 14-run eighth inning, capped off by a three-run home run.
 
UP NEXT
 
The teams will conclude the series on Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. The matchup will take place after the Norfolk State University commencement ceremony.
 
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