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Jalan Jones
Hannah Vernon Photography
7
Mercyhurst MERCYH~1 14-31, 12-15 NEC
12
Winner Norfolk State NSUBB 3-33, 3-21 NEC
Mercyhurst MERCYH~1
14-31, 12-15 NEC
7
Final
12
Norfolk State NSUBB
3-33, 3-21 NEC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Mercyhurst MERCYH~1 2 0 0 1 0 1 2 1 0 7 6 1
Norfolk State NSUBB 4 0 0 0 2 5 1 0 X 12 13 2

W: Varnier, Nathaniel (2-4) L: Daniel Thomas (2-6)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Alex Lehmbeck, Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Communication

Spartans Take Down Mercyhurst, 12-7, in Series Finale

NORFOLK,  Va. – The Norfolk State baseball team bounced back from a pair of doubleheader losses with a strong performance, taking down Mercyhurst 12-7 in a series finale on Saturday afternoon.
 
Nathaniel Varnier earned his second consecutive victory as the Spartans' starting pitcher, striking out seven batters in 6.0 innings. The redshirt senior allowed four earned runs, giving up just four hits throughout his outing.
 
Mercyhurst scored two runs in the first inning, first on a single before adding another run on a balk. Varnier settled down from there, striking out his next two batters to limit the damage.
 
Jamal Ritter and Jalan Jones produced back-to-back singles to open the bottom half of the first inning, before Kydese Queen loaded the bases by drawing a walk. Robert Beatty got a run across the board with a groundout, before Emmett Jefferson hammered a three-run homer over the right field fence to give Norfolk State a 4-2 advantage.
 
Merychurst hit a solo home run in the fourth inning, cutting the gap in half. Justin Journette responded with his 38th career homer in the fifth inning, giving Norfolk State a 5-3 lead.
 
The back-and-forth power hitting battle continued, as Mercyhurst's Jayden Walker drilled a solo home run to right field to lead off the sixth inning. Norfolk State racked up five hits in the bottom half of the frame, though, to keep the offensive attack going.
 
Ritter produced a double during the sixth-inning rally, to score Brendan Burke. Journette singled in a pair of runs from there, before Jefferson tagged on two more with a base hit to left field. The timely momentum swing gave Norfolk State an 11-4 lead.
 
Mercyhurst capitalized on three walks in the seventh inning, scoring a pair of runs to keep things interesting. Kydese Queen sent Ritter home on a sacrifice fly in the same inning, pushing NSU ahead by six runs.
 
Chris Juchno hit the fifth home run of the afternoon during the eighth inning, cutting the deficit to 12-7.  Liam Royster put the final touches on the victory for NSU, though, striking out Joey Triviso in the ninth to clinch the Saturday win.
 
CHECKING THE BOX SCORE
  • Norfolk State starter Nathaniel Varnier (2-4) earned his second consecutive win
  • Mercyhurst starter Daniel Thomas (2-6) received the loss
  • Both teams combined for five home runs on Saturday
  • Emmett Jefferson went 3-for-5 with five RBIs, including a three-run homer in the first inning
  • Justin Journette hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning
NOTES
  • Norfolk State improved to 3-34 (3-21 NEC)
  • Mercyhurst dropped to 14-31 (12-15 NEC)
  • Nathaniel Varnier has earned Norfolk State's last two victories on the mound 
ON DECK
 
Norfolk State will head north for its final road series of the 2025 regular season, facing former MEAC foe Delaware State at 3 p.m. on Friday, May 9.
 
For complete coverage of Norfolk State Athletics, please follow the Spartans on social media at @nsuspartans (X), /NorfolkStateAthletics (Facebook), @NSUAthletics (Instagram), @nsuathletics (YouTube) or visit the official home of Norfolk State Athletics at nsuspartans.com.
 
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