TEANECK, N.J. --- The Norfolk State baseball team rallied late in the series finale but came up short in a 7-4 loss to Long Island on Sunday afternoon.
 
Norfolk State dropped to 2-11 (0-3 NEC), while LIU improved to 3-7 (3-0 NEC). Parker Hampton (1-1) took the loss for the Spartans. Norfolk State scored four runs on 11 hits with one error, while LIU finished with seven runs on 15 hits and one error.
 
Ryan Hoeft and Kydese Queen each went 2-for-5 at the plate, while Queen added a pair of doubles. Sean Stewart and Jaydan Israel also recorded doubles for the Spartans.
 
Hampton pitched 4.1 innings and struck out three batters. Yasseel Samboy worked 2.1 innings in relief with two strikeouts, and Tyler Mitchell closed the game with 1.1 innings on the mound.
 
Norfolk State grabbed an early lead in the top of the first inning. Justin Journette scored on an RBI single to center field, giving the Spartans a 1-0 advantage. Norfolk State loaded the bases later in the inning, but LIU limited the damage to a single run.
 
LIU responded in the bottom half of the inning, scoring twice to take a 2-1 lead. The Sharks scored one run on a double steal before adding another following a Norfolk State error.
 
The Spartans answered in the third inning. Hoeft delivered an RBI single to left field to even the score at 2-2. Norfolk State threatened again in the fourth, with Stewart opening the inning with a double, Jayden Israel drawing a walk, and Thomas Ealey singling to put two runners in scoring position. LIU escaped the jam to keep the game tied.
 
The Sharks regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single before extending the advantage in the fifth on another RBI base hit to right field, pushing the score to 4-2. LIU added insurance in the seventh inning, with a solo home run that stretched the lead to 5-2, and a second home run later in the inning plated two more runs to give the Sharks a 7-2 cushion.
 
Norfolk State rallied in the eighth inning, beginning with Israel driving in Queen with an RBI double, and Journette followed with a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Stewart, cutting the deficit to 7-4. LIU stranded Israel in scoring position to end the inning. The Sharks held Norfolk State scoreless in the ninth to secure the win.
 
UP NEXT
Norfolk State returns home for a busy week at Marty L. Miller Field. The Spartans host Navy on Tuesday, March 10 at 3 p.m., VMI on Wednesday, March 11 at 3 p.m., and open a three-game series against Central Connecticut State on Friday, March 13 at 3 p.m.