NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State rode the pitching of Zac Capps and Jackson Sanchez to a 4-3 win in the first game before Delaware State rallied to win game two 12-10 to earn a split of the teams' doubleheader Saturday at Marty L. Miller Field.

In game one, Capps (2-5) allowed just three hits and two runs while striking out five in five innings pitched. Sanchez struck out four in two innings of relief to earn the save.

NSU took the early lead when Steven Shaffer doubled and scored on a wild pitch in the second. But the Hornets scored twice on an RBI single by Mike Worthington and a run-scoring double by Miguel Rivera in the top of the third to take the lead.

A sacrifice fly by Tommy Woods tied the game in the fourth before NSU regained the lead in the fifth. Brandon Cleveland walked to start the rally and later scored on a passed ball. Tanner Brandon then scored Dionte Brown with a double into the left-field corner to put the Spartans in front 4-2.

DSU threatened in the sixth. The first two Hornet batters walked, prompting a pitching change to bring Sanchez in. He struck out the next hitter, walked the next to load the bases, then fanned the next two Hornets to avoid any damage.

Trey Paige doubled and scored on a Krew Bouldin sac fly in the seventh, but Sanchez limited the Hornets to just the one run and preserved the victory for NSU.

Brown and Shaffer both were 2-for-3 in the opener for NSU.

In game two, the Hornets jumped on NSU early. Bouldin and Brady Daniels knocked in runs in the top of the first for a 2-0 DSU lead.

Cleveland scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the first to cut the NSU deficit in half, but the Hornet bats kept coming. Evan Harris tripled and scored on a groundout by Robert Trujillo in the second. DSU then pulled away with six runs in the third. Alec Rodriguez started the scoring with an RBI double and scored on an RBI single from Daniels. Rivera capped the inning with a two-run single.

DSU stretched its lead to 12-1 with three in the fourth before NSU slowly rallied. Cleveland hit a sacrifice fly and Rodriguez an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth to start the comeback. But the real drama came in the bottom of the seventh. The Spartans got three sharp hits to start the inning, a double by Brown, and RBI single from Brandon and an RBI double by Shaffer. Minjae Hong and Kalei Grebin walked and Camrin Sturgeon followed with an RBI single to make it 12-8.

Rodriguez tacked on another RBI single and Brown's fielder's choice scored Sturgeon to bring NSU within 12-9. DSU then intentionally walked Brandon but reliever Robert Shorts walked Shaffer with the bases loaded to bring in another run and cut NSU's deficit to two.

After a pitching change, and with the bases loaded, Hong lined a hot grounder up the middle, but Hornet second baseman Worthington snared it and got the game-ending force out at second to end things.

Rodriguez went 2-for-5 with two RBIs while Woods was 2-for-4 for the Spartans. Shaffer also knocked in two runs in the nightcap. Brown and Shaffer led NSU with two hits each on the day.

Rivera, Paige, Worthington and Alan Alonso had two hits each for DSU in the nightcap.

The teams conclude their series with a single game at noon on Sunday.