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ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. -- The offense erupted for the third-seeded Christopher Newport Captains (31-11) in Saturday's opening day of the 2013 USA South Softball Championships, as CNU clinched a berth in the conference title game with a five-inning 11-1 win over eighth-seeded LaGrange College. In three wins on Saturday, the Captains outscored their opponents 25-3 and blasted six home runs.

The nightcap to a tremendous day would culminate in the third straight win of the weekend and eighth straight win overall. Senior starter Melanie Hazelwood (9-1) joined classmates Whitney Haller and Krista Townsend with wins on Saturday, pitching four strong innings in the win. Senior reliever Elizabeth Holte tossed a perfect fifth inning to close out the win for CNU.

But the story was obviously the offense. In the third game, CNU hit their fifth and sixth home runs of the day and finished with 11 runs on eight hits and three walks in the four innings at the plate. A huge nine-run second inning saw 12 batters come to the plate, led off by Alexis Pope. The freshman wasted little time getting the ball rolling with a solo home run to left field.

CNU would score twice more in the inning before senior Chelsea Mitchell stepped in and added to her tremendous day with a 2-RBI single to center field. Then, after the second out was recorded, Pope stepped in for her second at-bat of the inning and drove in two more runs with a single to left field. She was then on base for the next batter, designated player Taylor Dillow, who took advantage of her first at-bat with a long home run to left for the final two runs of the inning. 

Dillow's blast was the sixth of the day for CNU, which included two from Mitchell. She finished the day with four hits, two home runs, six RBI and four runs scored. 

In the game against LaGrange, Pope and McLaughlin each had two hits, with Pope's three RBI leading the team. Mitchell and Dillow each added two runs batted in, while Candice Zollars and Pope each scored twice. 

The Captains advance to their third straight conference championship game, looking for their first title since 2009. CNU will play the first of a possible two-game championship final at 1:30 pm against an opponent yet to be determined.