PREVIEW: Norfolk State at Maryland-Eastern Shore (Doubleheader, Game 1)

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. (Interstat) — Norfolk State visits Maryland-Eastern Shore on Friday, May 1, for the first game of a doubleheader at Hawk Stadium, with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.

The Spartans (15-24) are coming off a 10-4 loss to Le Moyne on Saturday in which Parker Hampton pitched 6⅓ innings, allowing four runs on four hits with five strikeouts. Second baseman Hunter Gillespie went 1-for-3, and designated hitter Josiah Harrison went 1-for-3 with two RBIs.

Norfolk State has lost four of its last five, including a 15-4 defeat to Le Moyne on the same day, and a 12-1 loss at Wagner on April 12. The Spartans also took a 9-7 win over Le Moyne on April 24.

The Hawks (7-31) are in a deeper slide, having lost 11 of their last 12. Their most recent outing was a 15-3 loss to Wagner on Sunday. Shortstop Ansel Carson went 1-for-3 with two RBIs in that game. Pitcher Cade Williams struck out two over 4⅔ innings, allowing six hits and three earned runs, and Marco Davila pitched ⅓ of an inning with one hit and no runs.

UMES’s last win came April 12 at Delaware State, 7-5. Since then, the Hawks have been outscored 80-35.

Players to watch

Norfolk State right-hander James Godfrey is a key reliever. In three outings this month, he has pitched a combined three innings, allowing one hit and four earned runs with two strikeouts. He threw a scoreless inning against Le Moyne on April 25, but gave up three earned runs in one inning at Wagner on April 12.

UMES shortstop Ansel Carson has been inconsistent. In his last 10 games, he went 7-for-29 (.241) with one home run, four RBIs and two walks. He had a 2-for-5 game against Wagner on April 25 and a 2-for-3 performance at Georgetown on April 7, but has also gone 0-for-4 in three of those contests.

Simulation projection

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 3-2 Norfolk State win.

Upcoming schedules

Norfolk State remains at Maryland-Eastern Shore for a single game Sunday, May 3, then returns home to host VCU (May 5) and Fairleigh Dickinson (May 8-10) before a three-game series at Stonehill (May 14-16).

Maryland-Eastern Shore also hosts Norfolk State on Sunday, then travels to Mount St. Mary’s (May 6) and Le Moyne (May 8-10) before a three-game series at New Haven (May 15-17).

The doubleheader gives both teams a chance to reverse recent trends. Norfolk State seeks to build on its sole series win against Le Moyne, while UMES looks for only its second victory since April 12.