Luke Foss earned his school-record 10th win and Norfolk State (24-23) broke a school single-season win record, since moving to Division I in 1997, as the Spartans defeated Florida A&M (16-35) 14-2 in eight innings on Thursday afternoon in the opening round of the MEAC Baseball Tournament at Marty L. Miller Field.

NSU advances to the winner’s bracket game on Friday at 2 p.m. against the winner of the North Carolina A&T vs. Delaware State game.

The Spartans wasted no time in getting on the board. Charles LaLane led off the inning with a single through the right side.

The Rattlers answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the first, cutting the deficit to 4-2. Darryl Evans walked to lead off the inning and Jared Jeffries followed with a single to right field. Evans scored on a sacrifice fly by David James and Jeffries got home on Anthony Mazzeo’s RBI-groundout.

Jerrod Farley blasted an 0-1 pitch over the left field wall to lead off the top of the third for his fourth homer of the year increasing the Spartans’ lead to 6-2.

In the Spartans’ four-run fifth, Ernie Banks hit a three-RBI double to right center in the fifth and later scored on John Boyd’s sacrifice fly to center field to increase the Spartans’ lead to 11-2.

A final highlight in the game for the Spartans was Juan Serrano’s solo homer to left center, his sixth of the season, in the eighth to put NSU up 14-2.

Foss tossed a complete game, allowing seven hits and two runs (one earned), and striking out seven in the winning effort. Ciril Manego fell to 5-6 on the season after giving up 10 hits and 11 runs (nine earned) in four innings. He walked five and struck out six.

The Spartans outhit the Rattlers 16-7 and FAMU had a season high-tying eight errors.

On the day, LaLane was 4-for-5 with four runs scored and a walk. Banks was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and a career-high six RBI. Eight different Spartans had at least one hit. For the Rattlers, Darrly Evans and Jared Jefferies had two hits a piece.