ERIE, Pa. --- The Norfolk State baseball team fell to Mercyhurst 11-2 in the series opener on Friday afternoon, snapping the Spartans' four-game winning streak.
 

Norfolk State dropped to 8-16 overall and 5-5 in NEC play, while Mercyhurst improved to 5-14 (5-5 NEC). Donovan Whitfield (0-1) took the loss, while Matthew Delvaux (2-2) earned the win.
 

Brendan Burke led the Spartans at the plate, going 1-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Jaydan Israel and Justin Journette each recorded a hit, while Cameron Mazell and Josiah Harrison scored Norfolk State's runs.
 

Whitfield pitched five innings, allowing four runs (two earned) with one strikeout. Nyenati Snoh, Ryan Sellers, James Godfrey, and Sean Harris-Walter combined for four innings in relief.
 

Mercyhurst opened the scoring in the second inning with a two-run home run. The Lakers added two more runs in the fifth to extend the lead to 4-0.
 

Norfolk State responded in the sixth inning. Mazell drew a walk and Harrison was hit by a pitch before Burke delivered a two-RBI double to left-center, cutting the deficit to 4-2. Mercyhurst answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning, then added one in the seventh and three more in the eighth to pull away.
 

The Lakers held Norfolk State to three hits and closed out the game without allowing a baserunner in the ninth.
 

The two teams continue the series on Saturday, March 28, at 1 p.m.
 

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