Box Score
SALISBURY, MD.- Three errors proved to be costly Saturday for the Christopher Newport University softball squad. The fifth-ranked Captains saw their season come to an end with an 8-7 loss to fourth-ranked Salisbury in the NCAA "Super-Regional." For the second straight day, the Sea Gulls built a formidable lead and then had to hold off a late CNU surge.

The Sea Gulls, now 40-3, will be one of eight teams to advance to the National Finals in Tyler, Texas next week. All three losses the Gulls have suffered this season have come at the hands of the Captains, who end the season with a mark of 38-8.

"I'm very proud of what we did this season," Head Coach Keith Parr said following the defeat. "Today we just gave them too many opportunities, much like yesterday, and you can't do that against a great team like Salisbury."

CNU, the home team in the second of the best-of-three series, committed two errors in the first inning leading to three unearned runs off Captains starter, freshman Krista Lewis. Christopher Newport answered with a single run in the bottom of the first on an RBI double from sophomore Tori Clarke to make it a 3-1 Salisbury lead.

The Sea Gulls added a single run in the second inning on a home run from starting pitcher Rachel Johnson, her first of the season to make it 4-1. Salisbury then plated three more in the fourth inning, and a solo run in the fifth knocking Lewis out of the game. The Captains trailed, 8-1, heading to the bottom of the fifth.

The comeback effort began with back-to-back singles from sophomore Alexis Pope and freshman Rachael Shiflett. CNU Head Coach Keith Parr then went to his bench and entered freshman Karlee Hozbach to pinch hit. Holzbach delivered with a three-run home run, her sixth of the season, cutting the Sea Gulls lead to 8-4.

After CNU reliever Hanah Marshall pitched a scoreless sixth inning, CNU went back to work in the bottom of the sixth and posted three more runs. Junior Kelsey Lewis, Pope, and Shiflett opened the inning with three straight singles. Salisbury starter Rachel Johnson then walked senior Candice Zollars and sophomore Meagan Jones to bring in two runs and bring Kathryn Larson into the game in relief for SU. Senior Kristina McLaughlin welcomed Larson to the game with an RBI single to right to cut the lead to 8-7. CNU's sixth inning rally ended when junior Sabrina Hill lined into a double play, and the team went to the seventh with the lead just a run for the Gulls.

Marshall continue to pitch well, stranding two Sea Gulls in a scoreless top of the seventh, setting up the Captains for the bottom of the seventh with just one run separating the Capital Athletic Conference rivals.

Larson gave up a leadoff single to Tori Clarke but was helped by a double play and then a strikeout to end the game and the Captains season.

Johnson picked up the win to improve to 25-2, while Lewis took the loss to fall to 20-3.

Marshall ended up pitching two and two-thirds innings of scoreless relief for CNU with three strikeouts.

The squads ended up splitting six games played this season, including two in the regular season, two in the CAC Tournament, and two in the NCAA Tournament.

"It's certainly not the way we wanted it to end," Parr continued. "We just made too many mistakes and didn't execute. Again, I'm very proud of what we were able to accomplish and congratulated and thanked my team, especially the seniors, for all they did this year."