Baseball MEAC Media Relations

Bright, Smith Pitch Spartans to Sweep of Savannah State

Sophomore Quinn Bright and freshman Horace Smith each tossed a seven-inning complete game to lead Norfolk State to a 5-0, 5-3 sweep of Savannah State on Saturday afternoon at Marty L. Miller Field.

In game 1, Bright (4-5) tossed a five-hit shutout, his first as a Spartan. Bright walked just one and struck out three in pitching his fourth complete game of the season. Smith (1-1), making his second start of the season, allowed six hits and three earned runs to earn his first career win. Smith struck out a career-high six batters.

Moriba George and John Lynch each had three hits on the day to pace the NSU (17-18) offense. George, the catalyst out of the No. 2 hole in the Spartans’ lineup, also stole three bases and scored four times.

In game 1, the Spartans picked up two runs in the first. Lynch and George led off the bottom of the first with back-to-back singles. Lynch scored on a sacrifice fly by John Boyd. With two outs, Brandon Hairston doubled home George.

NSU took a 3-0 lead in the third when George, who doubled to lead off the frame, scored on Boyd’s groundout.

The Spartans added two insurance runs in the sixth. Hairston led off with a single and scored on a long double off the bat of Chris Joyce. Joyce scored on a single by TiQuan Griffin.

That was all Bright needed. He was backed by an 11-hit attack as Lynch, George and Hairston had two each.

Michael Allegretti (6-3) took the loss for the Tigers, allowing 11 hits and five runs, four earned, in six innings.

In game 2, NSU again took a first-inning lead when George singled, stole second and later scored on a double by Brad Stephenson.

But the Tigers’ bats woke up in the second. Brian Johnson doubled to lead off the inning and scored on a two-out double by Dexter Kelley. In the third, SSU scored twice more for a 3-1 lead. David Washington and Kyle Wilkerson led off the inning with consecutive doubles, with Wilkerson’s hit scoring Washington. Brett Pointer then plated Wilkerson with a sac fly.

But NSU took the lead for good with a three-run fourth, with all the runs scoring with two outs. Ryan Wiggins started the rally with a double to center field. After Griffin walked, Jerrod Farley knocked in Wiggins with an RBI single. After a wild pitch by SSU starter Robert Ramsdale (5-4) allowed Griffin to advance to third and Farley to second, Lynch gave the Spartans the lead with a two-run single to right.

George scored an insurance run in the fifth when he reached on an error, stole second and later scored on the last of six Tigers’ errors in the nightcap.

NSU swiped four bases in the second game, five for the day, and did not commit an error in either contest.

The teams wrap up their three-game series on Sunday at noon.