NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- With just six games remaining in the Capital Athletic Conference regular season, the Christopher Newport Captains (10-10, 4-8) have an opportunity on Thursday to unseat the undefeated and top-ranked Salisbury University Sea Gulls (15-0, 10-0). First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 pm at Captains Park, with live stats available at CNUsports.com/live.
Both teams in the Thursday afternoon tilt are in the midst of a tough stretch in their schedule, with only two days off this week. The Sea Gulls ran their season-opening win streak to 15 with a doubleheader sweep over Penn State Harrisburg on Sunday, followed by a 7-3 win at Wesley on Wednesday. Christopher Newport will be playing its second of five games this week, looking to snap a three-game slide.
Rookie
Brandon Ginch leads the Captains in total hits, extra-base hits and is tied for the team lead with 15 RBI. He's third on the squad in hitting, with a .355 batting average, trailing
Connor Henderson and
Keith Roberts. Henderson's .385 is the team's best, and the first baseman has 12 RBI with 15 runs scored. Roberts, hitting .357, is one of just two players to start all 20 games this year and leads the team with 15 RBI and 16 runs scored.
On the hill, the Captains bullpen has led the way all season and continues to post strong numbers.
Caleb Myers (1-0) has a team-best 1.80 ERA in 13 appearances and closer
Justin Garber (1-0) has three saved with a 1.88 ERA in 12 showings.
Adam Emerson has struck out 21 batters in 19.1 innings of work, making three starts and four relief appearances.
Salisbury features a potent offensive lineup, with four starters hitting over .400. Kyle Hayman leads the team with a .465 mark in ten games, while Austin Barefoot has hit .458 in 15 total starts. Six different Sea Gulls boast double-digit RBI and nine different players have scored at least 11 times. As a team, Salisbury is hitting .369.
The Sea Gulls back up their strong attack with a terrific rotation as well. The pitching staff has a 3.18 team ERA in 15 games, led by Dan Fein (4-0) with a 1.00 ERA in 27 innings of work. Brett Collacchi (3-0) has a 2.05 ERA and strikes out over a batter per inning.
Following Thursday's contest against Salisbury, the Captains will hit the road for three games this weekend, traveling to St. Mary's (Md.) for a pair on Saturday, and one at the Apprentice School on Sunday.
