Delaware State trailed by four before scoring nine unanswered runs to defeat Norfolk State 9-4 in the second game of a seven-inning baseball doubleheader at Soldier Field on Saturday.

The Hornets fell 3-2 in 11 innings in the opener.

DelState (10-9 MEAC, 12-17 overall) scored twice in the fifth to take the lead in the nightcap. Paige singled to lead off the fifth and later scored on a wild pitch to give DSU a 5-4 lead.

Tripp Kimmell (Milford) doubled in a run later in the inning to stretch the lead to 6-4.

Delaware State starter C.J. Loper (2-3) pitched 5.1 solid innings to earn the win, while Zach Dale threw 1.2 innings of relief to collect a save.

The Hornets’ loss in the marathon opener overshadowed a strong performance by freshman starter Jordan Haddaway, who allowed just one hit in six innings but was relieved in the seventh inning.

Hens swept in Boston: Northeastern downed Delaware, 3-1 and 9-4, in a CAA doubleheader on Saturday to complete a four-game sweep of the Blue Hens (4-8 CAA, 8-14 overall).

Junior Joseph Carpenter and Jack Goan 2-for-4 in the opener. Goan hit a three-run homer and finished with four RBI in the second game.

College football

UD playoff game on Sunday: Delaware’s NCAA FCS Division I quarterfinal playoff game at Jacksonville State will be played on Sunday at 3 p.m. (EST).

ESPN sets the schedule for the FCS playoffs.

The matchup will be the first meeting between the fifth-ranked Blue Hens (6-0) and fourth-seeded Gamecocks (10-2). Delaware beat Sacred Heart, 19-10, in its first-round playoff game while Jacksonville State downed Davidson, 49-14.

College field hockey

Hens to face Northwestern in NCAAs: Delaware will travel to Chapel Hill, N.C. to face No. 5 Northwestern on Friday at 3 p.m. in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The winner of Friday’s matchup will take on fourth-seeded Iowa on Sunday at 3 p.m. in the quarterfinals, also in Chapel Hill.

The Blue Hens (6-3) captured their ninth Colonial Athletic Association title in a 3-2 overtime victory over James Madison on Saturday. Northwestern (11-5) collected an at-large bid after falling to Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal.

The Hens are 2-0 all-time against the Wildcats, posting victories in 1999 and 2003.

This will be Delaware’s 11th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Hens captured the 2016 national championship.

College softball

Hornets earn MEAC split: Delaware State collected 13 hits, its second-highest total of the season, and Maikyla Nelson tossed a complete game to highlight a 9-3 victory over Norfolk State in the second game of a doubleheader on Saturday.

The Spartans won Saturday’s first game 7-2 and took three of the four contests in the weekend series.

In the nightcap, designated player Jaelyn Baker was 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Hannah Crumblish and Alaena Selden drove in two runs each.

Nelson allowed six hits and three runs, while striking out two without a walk to improve to 4-4 on the season.

College lacrosse

WOMEN, Furman 20, Delaware State 4: Southern Conference leader Furman scored the first eight goals and never looked back in the win on Saturday.

Tamrin Swann scored twice for the Hornets (0-3 SoCon, 1-9 overall) with Mayerlin Santos and Gwenna Gentle adding the other goals.