Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
Game 1:  Box Score in HTML Format  ||  Box Score in PDF Format
Game 2:  Box Score in HTML Format  ||  Box Score in PDF Format

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Powered by a pair of strong pitching performances, the Christopher Newport baseball team got back in the win column with a doubleheader sweep over Rutgers-Newark (0-4) on Sunday afternoon. The Captains won the first game, 5-0, and backed it up with a 9-2 victory in game two, improving to 3-4 on the season. 

Senior Bryan Bierlein (1-1) led the way in game one, throwing his first career solo shutout. The Captains' ace scattered seven hits over seven innings of work, struck out three and walked just two. He faced only 29 batters and stranded eight base runners to pick up his first win of the season. 

Offensively, CNU was held in check for the first four innings by starter Andrew Nasti (0-1), but the Captains jumped on the Scarlet Raider in the bottom of the fifth. Sophomore Kyle Corwin opened the frame with a double to right center, and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Collin Wilber. Wilber was safe on the play after a throwing error allowed Corwin to come home and score the game's first run. 

Then, after a groundout, CNU three straight batters reached as Preston Grissom beat out an infield single, Billy Steel drilled an RBI single into left field and Justin Weaver Walked. Grissom would then score on a sacrifice fly by Austin Kilbourne, followed by a huge two-out two-run single into center by Travis Younger. The five-run inning was enough for CNU to end its four-game slide. 

In game two, senior Nick Santalucia (1-0) took the ball for the Captains and was sensational for five innings. The lefty struck out six batters and allowed just three hits in the start, earning his first win of the season. He faced some trouble in the fourth inning, with two runners in scoring position, but he got Ryan Macfarlane out swinging to end the threat. 

Offensively, the Captains got out to an early lead scoring twice in the first and second innings. Weaver had the big swing in the first, as he hammered a long home run over the left center field wall with a runner on base to give CNU a 2-0 lead. In the second, the Captains took advantage of an error that extended the inning, and with two runners on, junior Tommy Vitaletti roped a triple off the center field wall. 

CNU was quiet then until the sixth inning, when, for the second time in the day, a five-run inning helped break the game wide open. Patience at the plate was key, as CNU worked four walks in the inning. With the bases-loaded, Preston Grissom and Steel went back-to-back with RBI walks. Then, Weaver capped his strong performance with a bases-clearing double down the right field line. He finished the game with five RBI with a 3-for-3 performance at the plate. 

Rutgers-Newark avoided the second shutout of the day when they scored twice in the top of the seventh. Jimmy Napolitano had a pinch-hit RBI single and Michael Murray added a bases-loaded knock of his own to end the scoreless streak. CNU reliever Justin Garber would finish out the win with a groundout, securing the 9-2 victory. 

In the second game, Vitaletti was 2-for-2 with two walks and a pair of runs scored, and the top four batters in the lineup combined for all nine RBI. Weaver had five of them, going 3-for-3 with a walk. Rookie Michael Thomas and junior Jordan Boze combined to strikeout the side in the sixth inning, in relief of Santalucia. 

Game one featured the fifth straight multi-hit game of the season for Steel, who went 2-for-2 with an RBI, run scored and hit-by-pitch. The streak of multi-hit games ended, as has his six-game streak to start the year, but Steel has driven in a run in four straight and six of seven games for CNU. Corwin was also 2-for-3, while Younger was 1-for-1 with 2 RBI and a pair of walks.

The Captains will return to action on Tuesday, Feb. 25 as they host Virginia Wesleyan College (3-4) at 2:00 pm.