The Norfolk State baseball team dropped a 6-0 decision to the Norfolk Tides, the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, in the inaugural exhibition game between the teams on Tuesday night that drew 8,509 fans to Harbor Park.

The Spartans had several on-field highlights during the seven-inning contest. First baseman Brandon Hairston and outfielder James Taylor had the Spartans' two hits. Pitchers Richie Salter, Ryan Davis and Ryan Shook each tossed a scoreless inning. The Spartan defense did not commit an error and got a diving catch by center fielder TiQuan Griffin that robbed the Tides of an extra-base hit in the sixth inning.

Proceeds from the game's ticket sales will benefit the Spartan baseball program. But perhaps the biggest benefit of the game, according to Spartans' head coach Claudell Clark, was the opportunity for his team to represent NSU before a large crowd of local fans against a professional team.

"I thought the atmosphere tonight was wonderful, and it was great for our team to have such support from the Tides and the Hampton Roads community. We look forward to making this an annual event," Clark said. "I thought we competed well and made a good showing for ourselves and the university. We were aggressive at the plate and our pitchers, for the most part, kept their composure."

The Tides got the only run they would need on Josh Bell's RBI triple in the bottom of the second. The Tides added three more runs in the third and two in the fifth. First baseman Brandon Snyder led the Tides with a 4-for-4 night that included one RBI and two runs scored. Bell went 2-for-4 for the Tides, who open their Triple-A season on Thursday night at Harbor Park.

NSU returns to its regular season on Wednesday night with a 6 p.m. game against Georgetown in Bethesda, Md. But not before they savor a season's worth of memories from an historic game for NSU.

Added Clark: "We hope that this will jump-start us a little and help us finish off the season on the right note."