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SALEM, Va.- The 2013 season came to a close Sunday for the Christopher Newport softball team, as the fourth-seeded Captains lost to second-seeded Emory, 8-2. The defeat came in the NCAA Regional at the Moyer Complex, and the Captains close the year with a record of 34-13.

"There were so many positives this year, it's certainly tough to see it end," Head Coach Keith Parr said following the defeat. "We came a long way this year, made some great strides, and improved steadily. We really have a lot of great accomplishments to remember."

CNU senior Melanie Hazelwood made the start and threw four scoreless innings to begin the game. Hazelwood wiggled out of jams in each of the first four innings, stranding seven Emory runners. The Eagles finally broke through in the fifth inning.

Emory scored five times in the top of the fifth on four hits and later added three more runs in the top of the seventh to put the game away. The Eagles advance in the regional and are now 42-4 on the year.

"This was a tough regional, no doubt about it," Parr continued. "You have to play almost perfect softball to win at this level...we had some hiccups and just didn't play well enough overall."

The Captains only runs came in the bottom of the fifth, when junior Kelley Foate and senior Chelsea Mitchell each doubled home a run. CNU posted seven hits in the game off Emory starter Amanda Kardys, who stranded eight Captains on the basepaths. Mitchell and junior Candice Zollars had two hits each for CNU.

Kardys went the distance allowing two runs on seven hits and struck out four while walking two. She improved her record to 25-4 on the year. Hazelwood, who allowed five runs on nine hits in four innings, took the loss to finish the season at 9-2.

The game proved to be the final in the careers of six CNU seniors. Pitchers Krista Townsend, Melanie Hazelwood, Whitney Haller, Elizabeth Holte, catcher Chelsea Mitchell, and infielder Lauren Stewart all closed out their CNU experience. They were a huge part of the Captains success that saw the team win 151 games over the last four years against only 46 losses.

"Our seniors were tremendous," Parr continued. "They were a part of a fantastic four-year run, and we will miss them all greatly."

The trip to the NCAA Tournament was the 11th in the 29-year history of the program and the seventh straight NCAA bid. CNU has won 30 or more games in each of the last seven seasons.