Box Score
NEWPORT NEWS, Va.- The Christopher Newport University softball team will play for the Capital Athletic Conference Championship Saturday morning at Captains Park. CNU, 34-6 overall and ranked 13th in the country, will play Salisbury (33-2) for the title. Game time has been changed to 11:30 a.m. due to rain in the forecast for Saturday morning.

The Captains beat Salisbury on Friday, 1-0, to advance to the title game. Salisbury bounced back after the defeat and downed Frostburg State, 11-6, to move into the final. The Sea Gulls, the top-ranked team in the country, would have to beat the Captains twice on Saturday to claim the title in the double elimination tournament.

CNU is 21-1 at home this season and looking for its first CAC title in the first year of league membership since switching from the USA South Athletic Conference.

The day began Friday with an exciting pitcher's dual at Captains Park as CNU and Salisbury tangled for the third time this season. CNU beat the top-ranked team in the nation for the second time, handing the Sea Gulls just their second loss against 32 wins. Freshman lefthander Makayla Jenkins allowed just four hits, three in the seventh inning, to post her sixth win of the year with just one defeat. Jenkins has won both games against the Sea Gulls.
 
The Captains scored the only run of the game in the third inning when pinch-hitter Kelsey Lewis delivered a single to right field scoring Rachael Shiflett. Lewis, who was pinch-hitting for Meagan Jones, registered one of just three hits in the game for CNU against Salisbury starter Rachel Johnson.
 
"We looked at the matchup and decided it was the thing to do," Head Coach Keith Parr said following the win. "Kelsey hits pitchers like that a bit better than Meagan does, and it worked out. Meagan has been hitting the ball very well, but in that situation, it seemed like the right thing to do."
 
CNU, the top seed in the tournament, held off a seventh inning rally by Salisbury that saw the Sea Gulls deliver three hits. The effort was thwarted by a double play on a popped up bunt attempt by third baseman Katie Sebbane, and then a play at the plate to end the game.
 
Following a hit up the middle by second baseman Molly Simpson, CNU second baseman Tori Clarke threw home to cut down pinch runner Molly Gigioli to end the game and preserve the 1-0 CNU victory..
 
The loss for junior pitcher Rachel Johnson was her first of the season following 18 victories. Johnson struck out eight in six innings of work and allowed just one run on three hits.

Following the CNU triumph, Frostburg State ousted York College by coming from behind for a 7-6 win. Salisbury then knocked out Frostburg State in the third game of the day, 11-6.

The five-team tournament began on Thursday at Captains Park. CNU defeated York, 8-0, on the opening day.

Keith Parr's squad has now won 13 straight games and 11 in a row at home.