HAMPTON, Va. — Virginia State University dropped both ends of a conference doubleheader to Apprentice School on Saturday at War Memorial Stadium, falling 4-2 in game one and 5-4 in game two.
Game One: Apprentice 4, Virginia State 2
The Trojans (8-7, 0-2 NSAC) outhit Apprentice 11-7 in the opener but were unable to overcome early miscues and timely hitting by the Builders.
Apprentice capitalized on two Virginia State errors in the first inning to take a 2-0 lead before adding two more runs in the third to extend the advantage to 4-0.
Virginia State responded in the fourth inning when Hector Rivera came around to score on an RBI single from Jaron Ward. The Trojans added another run in the sixth, as Ward recorded his second hit of the game and Johnathan Smith drove in a run to cut the deficit to 4-2.
Despite continued pressure, including a late scoring threat in the seventh inning, Virginia State left 11 runners on base and could not close the gap.
Ward led the offense, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Jaquan Tucker and Antonio Boone also collected two hits each, with Boone adding a double.
On the mound, Boone (2-1) pitched six innings, allowing four runs—only two earned—while striking out six.
Game Two: Apprentice 5, Virginia State 4
The Trojans (8-9, 0-4 NSAC) battled back and forth in game two but came up just short in a one-run contest.
Apprentice struck first with single runs in the first and second innings to take an early 2-0 lead. Virginia State answered in the third, loading the bases and getting on the board with an RBI walk by Jaquan Tucker.
The Trojans evened the score in the fifth inning when Tucker delivered again with an RBI double to make it 2-2.
Apprentice regained control in the bottom of the fifth, plating two runs on a key two-RBI single by Jett Winslow. The Builders added an insurance run in the sixth to extend their lead to 5-2.
Virginia State mounted a late rally in the seventh inning. With the bases loaded, Ralph Rivera drove in a run on an error, and Norman Jackson followed with a sacrifice fly to bring the Trojans within one at 5-4. However, the comeback attempt fell short as Apprentice recorded the final out.
Jaquan Tucker led the Trojans offensively in game two, going 2-for-2 with two RBI and two walks. Antonio Boone added two hits and scored twice, while Luka Gilliam contributed a pair of hits, including a double.
Charles Jones (2-2) took the loss, allowing four runs over 4.1 innings. Trey Mitchell provided relief, surrendering one run over the final 1.2 innings.
