SALISBURY, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore baseball team were held in check by Delaware State in the opening game of their three game series Friday (March 29). Hornets starter Garrett Lawson kept the Hawks off the scoreboard until the eighth, and The Shore went down in defeat 9-2.

Delaware State put the game away early by scoring six of their nine over the first three innings. The Hornets added three more in the sixth and came within striking distance of forcing a mercy rule.

Bolstered by the pitching of John Killmon (Bloxom, Virginia), the Hawks hung around. Killmon offered four innings of relief with just one earned run allowed.

Blake Coleman (Woodbridge, Virginia) struck a double to score Cole Hitch (Frankford, Delaware) for The Shore's first run. Garrett Baylis (Onley, Virginia) added an RBI groundout later in the frame.

The result forces a tie for third place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Northern Division. Delaware State improved to 7-15 (2-5 MEAC) while Maryland Eastern Shore fell to 6-22 (2-5 MEAC).

Both teams will meet again Saturday (March 30) at 2 p.m. inside Arthur W. Perdue Stadium.