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SALEM, Va.- The Captains of Christopher Newport got off to a great start in the NCAA Tournament Thursday, shutting out Roanoke by a score of 8-0. The triumph came in only five innings due to the eight-run rule on a beautiful day at the Moyer Complex.

"This is a terrific way to start this regional," Head Coach Keith Parr said following the win. "We had been off for a long while, but we picked up where we left off."

CNU had not seen action since winning the USA South Tournament over Ferrum on April 14th. The victory is the 10th straight for the Captains, who are playing in the NCAA Tournament for the seventh straight season and the 11th time in the program's 29-year history.

Christopher Newport, now 33-11, will take on top-seeded Salisbury on Friday at 2 p.m. at the Moyer Complex. Salisbury raised its record to 36-2 by defeating Penn State-Altoona in the opening game Thursday, 5-1.

The Captains were strong in the pitching circle as well as at the plate. Senior starter Whitney Haller threw five shutout innings, allowing just three hits and six total base runners. Haller, who is now 13-5 on the year, struck out four and walked two.

CNU jumped to an early lead by scoring three times in the first inning and ended up scoring in all four innings they came to bat. The Captains added a run in the second, and two in both the third and fourth frames. Christopher Newport finished the game with eight runs on 10 hits.

Sophomore Sabrina Hill, the USA South Player of the Year in each of her two seasons, led the offensive attack with two hits and five runs batted in. Hill came to the plate in the first inning with the bases full and delivered a three-run single. She then smacked her ninth home run of the year in the third inning, a two-run shot, that went to the opposite field.

Juniors Kristina McLaughlin and Taylor Dillow each delivered two hits for CNU. Senior catcher Chelsea Mitchell ran her hitting streak to 15 games with a single, and is now just four hits shy of Mary Kennedy for the all-time lead in hits in CNU history.

Roanoke starter Kelly Higbie took the loss, and is now 16-8 on the year.

The triumph was especially sweet for the Captains due to the fact they had been beaten twice by the Maroons in last year's regional at Captains Park. Now, CNU can look for more revenge on Friday. They will take on a Salisbury squad that beat them twice back on March 27th at Captains Park by scores of 12-2 and 11-4.