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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Freshman A.J. Nicely tied the single-game program record with three home runs in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against Wesley as the Christopher Newport  baseball team split the twin bill with the Wolverines after taking the opener, 17-6, before falling in the nightcap, 10-9, in extra innings at Captains Park.

During the opener, Nicely put on an incredible power display, launching three shots to left field. With that performance, he joined Derek Riebel, Jeff Eicher, Matt Turner, and John Corbin as the only Captains with three home runs in a game. Turner was the last to accomplish the feat after parking three against Greensboro on March 23, 2003.

Helping out on the offensive end, senior Billy Steel, who started his 150th straight game at shortstop on Saturday, finished the day with four hits, including a pair of home runs. Jacob Houston also had five hits, while Travis Younger and Tommy Vitaletti added four apiece.

In the opener, the Captains got things rolling early. In the top of the first, Bryan Bierlein set the tone with some trickery after escaping a minor rally with a fake-to-third, throw-to-first pickoff play. In the bottom of the frame, the offense dug in as Nicely parked a leadoff shot to kick off the stanza before Younger dropped a double into left, which chased in Steel to give the hosts a fast 2-0 lead.

Although the Wolverines cut their deficit in half with a run in the second, Nicely came back with another solo job in the third before Steel drilled a sacrifice fly, which brought home Justin Weaver for a 4-1 advantage. The defense also continued to do its job as Steel, Younger, and Weaver teamed up for a pair of inning-ending 6-4-3 double plays to stymie two early rallies.

Once again, Wesley attempted a comeback and plated two in the fifth, but the Captains had enough with the nip-and-tuck battle. Christopher Newport put the game out-of-reach with 13 runs in the sixth and seventh. During the first rally, Houston raked a two-run triple to open the scoring before Nicely unloaded on a pitch for his record-tying third blast to give the squad an 8-3 lead.

One inning later, the hosts batted around and scored nine more to eliminate any hope of a Wesley comeback. Shaky pitching led to the first few runs as the Captains loaded the bases with three straight walks before Houston and Kyle Corwin lined a pair of RBI singles. Later, after the squad packed the bags again, Steel landed the biggest blow of the game with a monster grand slam to center, which put the perfect punctuation mark on the nine-run rally.

Trailing 17-3, Wesley did score three in the top of the eighth, but Jordan Boze eventually came in and tossed a scoreless ninth to seal the victory. Bierlein earned the win after scattering seven hits and three runs over seven innings of work. He also struck out six and picked off a pair of runners during a well-rounded performance.

The momentum of the first game carried over to the second as CNU jumped out to an early 2-0 lead. In the first, Weaver punched a single to right before Steel added his second home run of the day. The senior turned on an inside pitch and launched a titanic blast destined for the street behind the left field wall.

Unfortunately, the tide began to turn in the middle innings. Wesley whittled its deficit down to one in the top of the third before striking for three, including a pair of unearned runs, in the fifth to grab a 4-2 edge. Refusing to back down, John Booker lofted a sacrifice fly to right in the sixth before Christopher Newport regained the lead with a six-run outburst in the seventh.

During the rally, Steel plated the first run after launching a dart to deep center, which he turned into a stand-up triple. One batter later, Tommy Vitaletti went even further, smashing a two-run blast to left. Following an RBI single by Corwin, Houston added the final punctuation mark with a two-run shot to left center, which gave the hosts a 9-4 lead entering the top of the eighth.

Despite the late advantage, things began to go awry. The Wolverines struck for three runs in the eighth, including a solo home run by Stan Zulkowski. Still leading by two, the Captains simply could not close out the game as Wesley tossed a pair of runs on the board in the top of the ninth to knot the game at nine and send the contest to extras.

In the 10th inning, Cory Smith dropped in a one-out triple for Wesley before Trey Mears drove him in with a sacrifice fly. Although CNU had one last chance, the bats fell silent in the bottom of the 10th as the Wolverines closed out the win with a perfect 1-2-3 frame.

During the nightcap, Vitaletti led the Captains with three hits to go along with two RBI and a pair of runs scored. Steel also had two hits and drove in three, while Nicely capped off his historic afternoon with a 2-for-6 performance.

Christopher Newport will return to action on Wednesday when the squad heads to Virginia Wesleyan for a 3 p.m. showdown.

---CNU---