RICHMOND, Va. --- Norfolk State baseball earned its first win over an Atlantic 10 opponent since 2017, defeating VCU 5-3 at The Diamond on Tuesday afternoon.
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Norfolk State improved to 8-15, extending its winning streak to four games. VCU fell to 13-11.
Tyler Mitchell (1-1) earned the win in relief, while
Yasseel Samboy recorded his third save of the season.
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Josiah Harrison and
Brendan Burke each went 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI to lead the Spartans.
Kydese Queen finished 2-for-4 with an RBI, while
Hunter Gillespie,
Emmett Jefferson and
Thomas Ealey each added a hit.
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Myles Crocker started for Norfolk State, pitching three innings and striking out one.
James Godfrey,
Nyenati Snoh,
CJ Patterson, Mitchell and Samboy all appeared in relief.
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VCU struck first in the second inning. The Rams opened the frame with a triple to right-center, then scored on a single to center field to take a 1-0 lead. VCU extended its lead to 2-0 in the fourth on a fielder's choice to third base.
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Norfolk State responded in the fifth. Queen drove in the Spartans' first run with an RBI single to right field, scoring Harrison. Gillespie followed with a two-RBI single to give Norfolk State a 3-2 lead. VCU answered with an RBI groundout in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game at 3-3.
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After two scoreless innings, Norfolk State regained the lead in the eighth. Ealey opened the inning with a single, and
Justin Journette reached after being hit by a pitch.
Cameron Mazell drew a walk to load the bases before Harrison lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to make it 4-3. Burke added an RBI single later in the inning to extend the lead to 5-3.
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Samboy entered in the eighth and worked into the ninth. After Norfolk State went down in order in the top half, VCU loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth. Samboy induced a fielder's choice at home to end the game and secure the win.
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Norfolk State remains on the road this weekend for a three-game series at Mercyhurst, beginning Friday, March 27. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
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