April 9, 2011
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - Norfolk State scored five runs in the second, third and seventh innings to win the first game of a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference baseball doubleheader, 16-4, and Justin Bahatti pitched a complete game as the Spartans took the nightcap, 6-1, at Hawks Stadium Saturday.
Norfolk State, which collected 25 hits on the day, improved to 12-17 and 5-1 in the MEAC, while UMES fell to 4-27 and 3-5 despite a 3-for-7 effort by Tre-Von Johnson (East New Market, Md.) in the doubleheader.
Chris Joyce and John Lynch each drove in five runs to pace NSU on the day with three hits apiece. Bryan Chaikowsky (Bethlehem Pa.) was 2-for-5 with his fifth triple of the season.
Ryan Shook (3-3) fanned eight UMES batters over six innings in the opener to earn the win on the mound. He scattered eight hits, two walks and three earned runs.
Down, 1-0, in the bottom of the first of the first game UMES tied the game on Chaikowsky's RBI triple down the right-field line, scoring Johnson from first after he legged out an infield hit. The Spartans, though, broke the things open with a combined 10 runs in the second and third. NSU sent 10 men to the plate in the second, getting seven straight players to reach base safely.
With two runs already in, Lynch grounded a base hit through the left side to score TiQuan Griffin and Sammy Serafine to make it 5-1.
The Hawks got two back in their half of the inning to cut the deficit to 6-3. Nick Wiggins (Littleton, Colo.) led off with a single to right-center field and Jeffrey Fleetwood (Delmar, Md.) followed with a walk. A ground ball moved the runners up before Stephen Bull (Millsboro, Del.) lined a single to left, scoring Wiggins. James Newsome (Mechanicsville, Md.) then hit a sacrifice fly to right but Bull was doubled off first base to end the inning.
Norfolk State sent another 10 to the plate in the third. The Spartans received RBI hits from Griffin (two-run triple), Taylor (single), Hairston (triple) and Joyce (single) in the frame to stretch the lead to 11-3.
Taylor dropped a fly ball in left leading to UMES' fourth run with two outs. Lynch misplayed a Fleetwood shot the warning track and Shaquille Bagwell (Atlantic, Va.) brought him in with a single to center.
But Norfolk State put the game away in the seventh with five unearned runs, including a three-run Joyce homer to left off Cody Cauffman (Salisbury, Md.). Jacob Foreman (Little Orleans, Md.) lasted only three innings for UMES on the mound, absorbing the loss to fall to 1-6. He allowed 10 hits and 11 runs (nine earned) with one strikeout and four walks.
Norfolk State jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the nightcap. The Hawks' only run came in the fourth when Johnson scored on a wild pitch with two outs.
Bhatti (1-4) picked up his first win, surrendering five hits, a walk and the one run. He struck out four using just 79 pitch to complete the game.
UMES looks to salvage the final game of the series Sunday at noon.
