HANOVER, Md. – Outfielder Tanner Brandon hit a go-ahead solo home run in the top of the eighth inning in game one of Saturday's doubleheader at Coppin State, helping the Spartans win the opener 8-7 at Joe Cannon Stadium. CSU edged NSU 3-2 in the nightcap to earn a split of the day's games.

Brandon capped a back-and-forth affair with a go-ahead solo home run in the top of the eighth to lift the Spartans (9-18, 6-8) to victory. NSU held leads of 5-0 and 7-5 only to see the Eagles rally both times. But Brandon hit a lead-off homer, his second of the year, to start the eighth. CSU loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the inning, but Spartan reliever Justin Walton struck out Josh Hankins to finish off the win for NSU.

The Spartans started quickly with a five-run top of the first. Brandon Cleveland led off with the first of three NSU doubles in the frame. Jacob Council doubled in both Cleveland and Raphy Rodriguez to get the scoring started. Brandon followed with a run-scoring double of his own, and third baseman Tommy Woods capped the rally with a two-run single.

The score remained that way until the fifth. CSU put together a five-run rally that included three hits and four walks. Wellington Balsley singled in two runs, and later in the inning, Sebastien Sarabia doubled in the tying run.

The Eagles' lead was short-lived. Steven Shaffer led off the top of the sixth with a single and Kam Walker followed with a two-run homer to put the Spartans in front 7-5.

Sarabia, however, tied the game up with a two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings.

Brandon went 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs in game one. Shaffer went 1-for-2 and scored twice.

Walton (2-3) struck out four in 3.2 innings of relief to pick up the win.

Both teams managed just three hits in the nightcap as CSU's Tim Ruffino and NSU's Nolan Manzer gave their clubs quality starts. CSU's Jordan Hamberg led off the fourth with a double for the first hit of the game off Manzer. Hamberg was sacrificed to third and scored on a sac fly by Corey Miley. Two more Eagle runs scored in the fifth in part due to a pair of NSU errors.

Dionte Brown doubled in Cleveland with NSU's first run in the sixth. In the seventh, Shaffer reached on an Eagle error and scored on another two-out Eagle throwing error to bring NSU within 3-2. But with the tying run on base, CSU's Justin Johnson recorded a strikeout to end things.

Cleveland, Brown and Council had the Spartan hits in game two. Manzer (2-3) was charged with the loss despite allowing just one earned run in 5.1 innings pitched.

The teams play another doubleheader starting at noon on Sunday.