NORFOLK, Virginia – In Cameron Bratton's ninth start of the year the senior was able to go the full nine innings for the Maryland Eastern Shore (12-26, 11-10 MEAC) baseball team, dominating Norfolk State University (11-25, 8-13 MEAC) to help the Hawks to a 4-0 win at Marty L. Miller Field in Norfolk, Virginia.
 
The Cumberland native set career highs in innings pitched and strikeouts, allowing just a single walk and scattering four hits while inducing three double plays to get out of the few jams he found himself in.
 
"Great pitching performance by Cam Bratton, probably the best I've seen him throw since he's been at UMES," head coach Brian Hollamon said. "He threw strikes, led batters off early, he was really efficient. "
 
As has been much of the season, Ryan Howe got the Hawks started with a lead in the first inning after a leadoff single by Andrew Revels. Finding himself on third following a stolen base and then an errant pickoff attempt, Revels was driven in by Howe when he hit a two-out single to center field to put the Shore up early.
 
In the third Revels once again found himself on first with a walk and again stole second promptly, then runners were on the corners when Dillon Oxyer singled to left center before stealing second himself. Howe on a 2-2 hit dribbled a ball slow enough to first to score Revels as he was called out to make it a 2-0 game.
 
"Ryan's swinging the bat really well, even when he hits something that maybe is just a groundball to the infield, it's good stuff," Hollamon said. "It just happens to be at the right time."
 
Bratton kept the Spartans in check, not seeing his first batter over the minimum on a single to center field but didn't falter sitting the next three batters down in order.
 
"I thought I did a good job pounding the strike zone," Bratton said. "Especially with strike one and being able to mix up and as the game went on, I just wanted to lock in, make sure I didn't let up."
 
Heading to the top of the eighth, Oxyer led the inning off with a full count walk in time for a bomb of a home run by Brantley Cutler over the right field fence to give the Hawks two more runs. It was the second hit of the day for Cutler, leading off the sixth with a triple but was caught in a rundown at home, holding him from scoring.
 
"He's been struggling a little bit but hit the ball really well in the fourth inning when he got a triple, then the next at bat he got that home run, it's good to see," Hollamon said. "In a long season you go through your ebbs and flows, ultimately he came out."
 
There was a little trouble for Bratton in the bottom of the ninth as he was approaching 100 pitches and looking for his first career complete game. After letting a runner on with a leadoff single and then a walk to put runners on first and second, Bratton induced his third double play with a grounder to third where Revels used his glove and arm to make the play to give the Spartans two outs. With one more out needed, Bratton forced an easy fly ball to right to draw the game to a close for his first win of the season.
 
"Just going in to sixth and seventh I wanted to keep a low pitch count so I could go in the eighth and ninth," Bratton said. "We have a great bullpen, so I wasn't worried if we had to go to them but having three games with a full bullpen is huge."
 
With the win and a Delaware State loss to Coppin State at the same time the game was being played, the Shore moves to second in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, tied with the Hornets.
 
The Hawks are back in action on Saturday (April 23) with a doubleheader at Marty L. Miller Stadium, first pitch of game one is scheduled for 1 p.m. with the second half coming thirty minutes after the conclusion of the first.

Follow the action on Twitter via @eshawksbase.