Norfolk, Va. (May 14, 2021) --- Delaware State has clinched a berth in the 2021 MEAC Baseball Tournament with a 6-2 victory over Norfolk State in game two of a seven-inning doubleheader at Marty Miller Field today. The top two teams in the MEAC Northern and Southern divisions will compete in the conference championship tournament May 20-22 in Norfolk. The Hornets secured the No. 2 North seed with the game two victory.
Norfolk State won the opener 8-7.
Jordan Haddaway pitched a complete game and
Miguel Rivera was two-for-two with three runs batted in to lead the Hornets to the game two win.
Norfolk State scored a run in the bottom of the first inning before the Hornets put two on the board in the second to take the lead for good.
Jared Gillis singled to lead off the DSU second and scored the tying run on a passed ball. The Hornets took a 2-1 lead on a sac fly by Rivera later in the inning.
Delaware State scored three runs in the third to stretch its lead to 5-1. The rally started when Gillis singled with two outs and the bases empty.
Mason Brewer followed with a single and
Tripp Kimmell was hit by a pitch to load the bases. The next batter
Arthur Burrell was also hit by a pitch, scoring Gillis to put DSU ahead 3-1. Rivera and
Brady Daniels followed with back-to-back walks with the bases loaded to put the Hornets up by four.
Delaware State was ahead 5-2 when Rivera smacked his fourth homer of the season, a solo shot, with two outs in the fifth.
Haddaway allowed just four hits and two runs, one earned, while striking out four and walking three to record his team-leading fourth win of the season (4-3).
In the opener, Norfolk State scored the winning run on a walk-off strike out / wild pitch with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Delaware State led 7-6 when the Spartans came to bat in the seventh. After retiring the first batter in the seventh, Hornet closer
Chandler Fitzgerald walked Jacob Council on a 3-2 pitch. Pinch runner Jaran Davis stole second, and advanced to third on a throwing error. The next batter, Danny Hosley, drew a 10-pitch walk, putting runners at third and first with one out. Khie Simms followed with a single to score Davis with the tying run, and advance Hosley to second. Hosley and Simms moved up a base on passed ball, putting Spartans on third and second with one out. Fitzgerald struck out next batter Adam Collins on a swinging third strike that was ruled a wild pitch, sending Hosley home from third base with the winning run.
Delaware State trailed 4-0 in the game before scoring six runs in the fifth inning to grab the lead. The Hornets scored their first run when
Mark Herron scored from third on a bases loaded ground out by
Krew Bouldin. After
Cole Garey was hit by a pitch to reload the bases,
Jared Gillis followed with a two-run single, scoring
John Weglarz and
Trey Paige to cut the Spartans' lead to 4-3.
Robert Trujillo then singled in Garey to tie the score at 4-4.
Mike Worthington untied the game with a two-out triple to score Gillis and Trujillo, giving the Hornets a 6-4 lead.
Norfolk Stare answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game, but DSU regained the lead 7-6 on a sacrifice fly by Paige.
Trujillo had two of the Hornets' nine hits, while Gillis and Worthington drove in two runs each.
Fitzgerald (2-1) was tagged with the loss after allowing the tying and winning runs.
The Hornets and Spartans will close out the series with a nine-inning game on Saturday at War Memorial Stadium in Hampton, Va. Start time is scheduled for 11:00 a.m.
