Dario Little hit a bases-loaded infield single to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth, and Lester Rivenbark scored the winning run on a Spartan error to give second-seeded North Carolina A&T an 8-7 win over No. 3 Norfolk State on Saturday night in the MEAC Baseball Championship Tournament at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
By pulling off their second come-from-behind win over NSU (21-29-1) in as many days, the Aggies (31-25) advance to Sunday's championship round against No. 1 seed Bethune-Cookman. NSU saw its season come to an end.
The Aggies rallied from a 6-2 deficit to tie the game, only to lose the lead in the top of the ninth, and then win it in their final at-bat.
NSU got off to a quick start behind the pitching of Ryan Shook, who left the game with the lead after seven innings and a career-high nine strikeouts.
Both teams scored once in the third. The Spartans struck first as John Rasberry reached on a dropped fly ball. He was picked off first, but North Carolina A&T pitcher Brent Moore threw wildly to first base, and the ball skidded all the way down into the bullpen area to allow Rasberry to score from first.
The Aggies tied the game at one in the bottom of the third. Ryan Carlton singled with one out, went to second on a Shook wild pitch, and scored on Mark Nales' RBI single.
The Spartans caught fire in the top of the fourth inning, recording five straight hits to plate three runs. Drew Suttmiller, Sammy Serafine and Cameron Parsons loaded the bases with three straight base hits. Ryan Wiggins followed with a two-run single, and TiQuan Griffin added an RBI single of his own to stretch the lead to 4-1.
North Carolina A&T pushed across another run in the bottom of the fourth. Xavier Macklin walked, stole second, went to third on a flyout and scored on a wild pitch. NSU added to its advantage in the fifth as Serafine and Parsons hit two-out RBI singles to put NSU ahead 6-2.
The Aggies started their rally against Shook in the seventh. Aided by an NSU error, North Carolina A&T scored three times. Rivenbark hit a sacrifice fly and George Hines knocked in a run with a single to make it 6-4. Little followed with a double down the left-field line to score Mark Nales, but Hines was thrown out at home by Wiggins' relay throw to keep NSU in the lead, 6-5.
The lead didn't last long, as the Aggies tied it at 6-all on Nick Rogers' solo homer in the bottom of the eighth off NSU reliever Chase Davenport.
Suttmiller gave NSU a short-lived lead with a two-out, two-strike single in the top of the ninth.
North Carolina A&T wasn't done though, as Alex Grubb led off the bottom of the ninth with a single. Rivenbark then reached first when the Spartans misplayed his sacrifice bunt attempt, putting pinch runner Andre McKoy at second. Nales then sacrificed both runners up a base, and NSU reliever Jason Barker intentionally walked Hines to load the bases.
Little then hit a high chopper over a drawn-in Chris Joyce at third, which Wiggins fielded. The hit led McKoy score easily, but Rivenbark rounded third. He was able to score when Wiggins' throw sailed high.
Little and Grubb had two hits each for the Aggies.
Serafine had a career-high four hits, going 4-for-5. Parsons, Wiggins and Suttmiller added two each, with Wiggins knocking in two runs.
Nick Oelker got the win for A&T, pitching one-third of an inning. Ray Morton took the loss for NSU, as the winning run was charged to his record.
The championship finale is set for Sunday, May 23 at 2 p.m. and will air on ESPNU in a tape-delayed format on May 24 at 5 p.m. The broadcast will be the MEAC's first televised baseball championship on the network.
For more information on MEAC Baseball, visit www.MEACsports.com.