Maryland Eastern Shore freshman left-hander John DesChamps picked up a win in relief in game one and a save in game two to secure a doubleheader sweep of Norfolk State, 8-6 and 4-1 at Hawks Stadium Saturday.
The Hawks spotted the Spartans a 5-0 lead through two-and-a-half innings before scoring eight of the final nine runs in game one and came from behind with all four runs in the fifth and sixth innings of game two.
With the victories, UMES (8-22, 6-2 MEAC) surpassed its 2008 win total and broke a three-game
losing streak. NSU (6-11, 3-4) has lost three straight.
Three Hawks had multiple-hit outings in game one led by sophomore Franklin Armstrong, who was 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Senior captain Pat Hercinger went 2-for-5 with a run, and freshman Elliott Alston also tallied a pair of hits and a run.
DesChamps (2-4) threw 3.2 innings, surrendered just one run on two hits and struck out three to allow the UMES hitters time to catch up to Norfolk State starter Quinn Bright, who looked good early on.
The Spartans struck for two runs in the top of the first. Hawks' starter Matt Witte walked John Lynch to begin the game and Chris Joyce promptly tripled to right-center field for a 1-0 NSU advantage. Witte then uncorked a wild pitch to score Joyce with no one out. The sophomore got out of the inning with no further damage done, though.
NSU doubled the lead in the second. Jerrod Farley tripled, again to right center, and TiQuan Griffin made it 3-0 with an RBI single to right. Griffin stole second and after a pair of outs and runners on first and third, Jermaine Berry kept the ball inside the first-base bag and down the right-field line for another run-scoring single.
The Spartans' fifth run came in the third as part of a two-out rally. Farley doubled to left center and scored when Josh Dunham bobbled a ball to second hit by Griffin.
Dunham redeemed himself in the bottom of the inning, chasing Remo Orsini home from third with a base hit up the middle to get the Hawks on the board. Orsini started the inning reaching on an infield hit to Joyce at third base and advanced to second on an overthrow. Phil Vaughn, who had his 11-game hit streak snapped while going 0-for-3 in the first game, sacrificed Orsini to third.
UMES cut the lead to one with three in the bottom of the fifth, all with two outs. Three consecutive singles from Hercinger, Russel Deutschmann and Bryan Chaikowsky made it 5-2. Armstrong followed with a two-RBI single up the middle and moved to third on an error by Griffin to make 5-4.
Witte got one out in the top of the sixth before DesChamps came on to strand Berry and Joyce on first and second, respectively, ending the inning.
Witte allowed four earned runs on eight hits and five walks while striking out two.
Lynch had another triple to lead off the eighth and Joyce knocked him in with a single for a 6-4 cushion.
The Hawks knocked Bright out in the bottom of the inning with four runs to take the lead. UMES catcher Ben Vasko provided the big blow, a two-run triple with one out which brought Alston and Armstrong home.
After right-hander Ryan Davis came in, Orsini and Vasko were successful on a double steal; Vasko took the plate and Orsini second while he advanced to third on an error by Cameron Parsons. Orsini then scored on a passed ball from Parson to account for the final margin.
Bright (3-2) went 7.1 innings, giving up all eight runs - six earned - and 11 hits. He struck out five and walked two in the loss.
Joyce led the Spartans at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a run and two RBIs.
NSU took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of game two off Cameron Zimmerman. Lynch reached on a fielding error by Deutschmann at first and Joyce walked, putting runners on first and second with no one out. Lynch came around on fielder's choice to short when the relay on a double-play try was out of Deutschmann's reach.
That's how things stayed until the fifth when UMES took a 3-1 lead. Armstrong began a one-out rally with a single scored from first on a single to center by Alston and an error by Griffin.
Michael Guy walked before Orsini moved the runners to second and third, setting the stage for a two-out, two-run single to center off NSU's Chase Davenport.
Ryan Shook replaced Davenport in the sixth and allowed an insurance run for UMES as Alston had an RBI single to left that brought Deutschmann in with two outs.
DesChamps closed the book on the Spartans in the ninth for the Hawks' first save of the season.
Zimmerman (3-4) went six and gave up just the one unearned run on three hits and four walks for the win. He also struck out two.
Davenport (2-2) took the loss, going five. He allowed three runs on five hits and one walk while collecting four strikeouts.
Alston was 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Deutschmann also chipped in with two hits in three at- bats and picked up a run scored in the game two win.
The two teams close their three-game series Sunday. First pitch is slated for noon.