Right hander Justin Walton struck out a career-high nine batters over six strong innings, and Norfolk State won its first weekend series of the season with a 10-5 victory over North Carolina Central on Sunday at Marty L. Miller Field.
Danny Hosley went 3-for-3, and Dionte Brown, Cody Donnell and Phillip Boykin had two hits each for the Spartans (2-5), who split Saturday’s doubleheader in Durham against the Eagles (4-3).
The Spartans started quickly. Donnell singled in two runs in NSU’s three-run second. Boykin’s sacrifice fly in the third plated Mason Velasquez to push the NSU edge to 4-0.
Kokko Figueiredo’s two-run double in the fifth provided the only runs off Walton and cut NSU’s lead to 4-2. But NSU quickly got those runs back and then some. Alsander Womack led off the bottom of the fifth with a single and later scored on a failed pickoff throw.
In the sixth, Womack hit a sacrifice fly to score Donnell. Later in the frame, Brown singled, stole third and scored on another NCCU miscue for a 7-2 Spartan lead.
The Eagles made it interesting with three two-out runs in the seventh. Figueiredo, Luis DeLeon and Cameron Norgren all hit RBI singles to bring the Eagles within 7-5.
But the Spartans pulled away with three insurance runs in the eighth. Donnell walked and stole second to lead off the frame, then scored on a single by Brown. Walks to Womack, Minjae Hong and Velasquez brought in another run. Hosley’s sacrifice fly capped the inning.
Walton (1-0) allowed just five hits and two runs over six innings. He walked just one in picking up his first win of the season. Alex Wright picked up the save by pitching the final three innings. He struck out five.
Brown and Donnell both stole a pair of bases for NSU. Those two and Womack scored two runs apiece.
DeLeon and Figueiredo both had three hits for NCCU.