NORFOLK, Va. --- The Delaware State baseball team lost the nine-inning series finale in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) competition with Norfolk State 13-12 on Sunday.
Norfolk State put up a two-run bottom of the first inning for the game's first runs.
Trey Paige cut the Spartan lead in half with an RBI-single that scored
Mike Worthington for a 2-1 deficit in the top of the third.
The Spartans responded with a four-run bottom of the third, pushing the lead up to five (6-1) through three complete innings. Norfolk State added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth and extending the lead to seven (8-1) after four frames of action.
After being blanked on the board for three straight innings, Delaware State strung together an 11-run comeback spread out through the seventh and eighth innings. A four-run seventh inning was highlighted by a Worthington sacrifice fly, Paige RBI-walk and a
Krew Bouldin sacrifice fly that also resulted in a Spartan throwing error that allowed two runs to score as the Hornets cut the lead to 8-5 after their half of the seventh.
Norfolk State would not make the Delaware State comeback easy as the Spartans added two more runs in the bottom of the seventh for a 10-5 advantage through seven innings.
Following a dropped fly ball that scored
Alec Rodriguez and a
Miguel Rivera RBI-walk that brought home
Mason Brewer, Paige stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and the Hornets trailing 10-7.
The league-leader in home runs took advantage of his opportunity and bashed his 10th of the year over right field wall for a grand slam and Delaware State's first lead of the afternoon, 11-10 in the top of the eighth inning.
Bouldin scored on a wild pitch a few batters later after
Mike Carrington drew a walk for a 12-10 lead through the top of the eighth inning.
Norfolk State got a run back in their half of the eighth trimming the gap to 12-11 heading into the final frame of the game.
With two outs down and runners in scoring position, Dionte Brown walked the game off for Norfolk State with a two-RBI single to the gap in left center.
Offensively, Bouldin, Paige and Worthington recorded multi-hit days at the plate with a pair of hits each. Paige drove in a game-best six runs. As a team the Hornets drew 11 walks with Brewer, Carrington and Rivera all getting a free base twice.
Delaware State returns to MEAC action this weekend with a four-game road matchup against the league-leading Coppin State Eagles. First pitch of the nine-inning series opener is scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m.
