HANOVER, Maryland – Freshman shortstop Alex Mauricio recorded his first career three-hit game, and the Norfolk State bullpen held Coppin State without a hit over the final five innings to help the Spartans run their win streak to 12 with an 8-2 win on Sunday afternoon at Joe Cannon Stadium.
The Spartans (18-10 overall, 15-3 MEAC North) now own a four-game lead over second-place Maryland Eastern Shore in the division following UMES' loss to Delaware State on Sunday. The Spartans have swept their last four MEAC series.
Mauricio went 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored and also notched two of NSU's season-high seven stolen bases. He was one of four Spartans who had multi-hit games, joining outfielders Denathan Dukes and Angel Rosario and third baseman Robbie Hiser, who all had two hits.
NSU jumped out to a 4-0 lead over the Eagles after its first three times at-bat. Hiser singled and stole second before scoring on Rosario's team-leading 12th double of the season in the top of the first off CSU starter Yayha Muhammad (0-9). Two CSU errors led to one Spartan run in the second before Mauricio's RBI single made it 3-0 later in the frame.
Rosario singled and scored on Syeed Mahdi's groundout to extend the lead to 4-0 in the third.
Bryant Miranda hit a solo homer in the bottom of the third off NSU starter Stephen Butt for CSU's first run. But that was the only run Butt allowed in four solid innings of work. He yielded five hits and struck out four, but earned the no-decision.
CSU's only other run came via a wild pitch in the eighth, but that was all the Eagles could muster off NSU's stout bullpen. Josh Vales (3-2) pitched two hitless innings of relief to pick up the win, his third of the year. Jeff Di Fulgo also tossed a scoreless inning of relief, while Cooper Jones recorded the final four outs by strikeout to finish off the Eagles (3-29-2, 2-16).
Eagle errors led to the next three NSU runs before Dukes capped the scoring with an RBI single in the ninth.
Dukes went 2-for-5 with two steals. Hiser went 2-for-6 and swiped one bag, while Mikey Bruno also stole two bases. Rosario batted 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
NSU's offense scored 37 runs on 39 hits and stole 15 bases in the three-game sweep. The Spartan pitching staff allowed just 14 hits and five runs in the three games, and has yielded just 18 earned runs in the 12-game winning streak.
The Spartans step out of conference play when they travel to the state capital to face Richmond on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
BOX SCORE
Matt Michalec, Asst. AD/Communications
COURTESY NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
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