The Delaware State baseball team opened its four-game series in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference action with Norfolk State with an 8-7 win on Friday.
After a scoreless first three innings, Mason Brewer got the Hornets on the board with an RBI-single through the left side that brought home Jordan King for a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth.
One inning later, Krew Bouldin doubled the lead with an RBI-single of his own that scored Trey Paige for a 2-0 advantage through five innings.
Norfolk State battled back with a two-run sixth inning to tie the game at 2.
A tied game was as close to the lead as the Spartans would get as the Hornets utilized a five-run seventh to pull away and seal the game one win.
Said inning was highlighted by back-to-back two-RBI doubles. The first one came from Brady Daniels who drilled his down the right field line which allowed Paige and Miguel Rivera to score. One batter later, Alec Rodriguez belted his into the gap in left center and brought home Bouldin and Daniels. Delaware State extended its advantage to 7-2 through the completion of its half of the seventh inning.
Norfolk State wouldn’t go away quietly as the Spartans put up a four-run bottom of the seventh to bring the game within one at 7-6 through seven complete innings.
Rivera added some insurance for the Hornets in the eighth by way of an RBI-single to score Tre’Zhan Selby and push the Delaware State lead to 8-6.
The Spartans got one back in the bottom of the ninth but C.J. Loper shut the door on the comeback and preserved the win for Delaware State. Loper threw two and a third innings in relief for his second save of the season. He struck out three batters and only surrendered one hit, one run and only allowed one walk.
Peter Carreca twirled six innings and tallied a season-high in strikeouts as he sat down seven Spartans in his outing. Carreca also scattered three hits and only suffered two runs in route to his first win of his campaign.
Three Hornets recorded multi-hit days at the plate led by Paige who tied for a game-high of three. Brewer and Rodriguez chipped in with a pair each. Rodriguez also joined Daniels in leading the team in RBIs with two apiece.