NORFOLK, Va.- The Savannah State baseball team defeated Maryland Eastern Shore 3-1 in the first round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament played at Marty L. Miller Field.

The score was knotted at 1-1 at the end of the third inning but the Tigers (30-21) scored once in the sixth and once in the eighth for the deciding scores.

David Richards led off the sixth with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by Chris Arnold to give SSU a 2-1 edge.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Richards led off with another triple and scored on a sacrifice bunt by Darien Campbell.

Richards ended the day with three hits and two runs scored. Peter Poole added a pair of singles for the Tigers.

Kyle McGowin went the distance for Savannah State, giving up eight hits and striking out seven.

In the first inning, Todd Hagen reached on an error by the short stop and advanced to second on an error by the pitcher. A single by Poole allowed Hagen to score and give the Tigers an early 1-0 lead.

UMES left the bases loaded in the top of the third but were only able to score one run as Stephen Bull hit a RBI single that scored Joshua James to tie the game at 1-1.

The Hawks, who made four errors and left eight men on base, were led by Tre-Von Johnson who went 3-for-4 at the plate. J.P. Black took the loss on the mound as he gave up nine hits and two earned runs while striking out two.

SSU will play Norfolk State, a 5-4 winner over North Carolina Central, on May 16 at 12:30pm.