NEWPORT NEWS, Va.- Christopher Newport posted 21 more runs on Sunday as the 12th-ranked Captains beat Averett University twice in non-conference action at Captains Park. CNU won the opener of the doubleheader, 9-3, and then took the nightcap, 12-4, in six innings due to the eight-run rule.
Keith Parr's squad is now 6-0 to start the season, and totalled 39 runs in four wins this weekend in sweeps at Lynchburg and at home over the Cougars.
It took a while for the CNU offense to kick into gear in both games Sunday. In the opener, the Captains trailed before posting three runs in the fourth inning and then five more in the fifth to cruise to the 9-3 triumph. Senior lefthander
Hanah Marshall pitched the first six innings to earn the victory and improve to 2-0 on the season. Marshall allowed just one earned run and scattered six hits.
Four different Captains registered two hits in the opener, as CNU scored nine runs on nine hits off Averett pitching. Sophomore
Brittney Walters knocked in the first run of the day with a fourth inning single and then drove in the final two runs of the opener with another single in the sixth. Senior
Meagan Jones drove in a run with a fifth-inning double, and then plated another with a sixth-inning single.
In the second game, Jones went three-for-four and drove home three more runs as the Captains scored in every inning from the second through the sixth. CNU closed out the game with a three-run sixth for the 12-4 win.
Senior
Scoop Simon clubbed her second home run of the season, a two-run shot in the fourth inning as the Captains recorded 12 runs on 13 hits. Sophomore
Rachael Payne twice brought home runs by being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the second game.
Junior transfer
Maiven McKnight picked up the win to go to 2-0 on the year. McKnight pitched the first five innings, and sophomore transfer
Tara Heatwole entered in relief in both games to pitch the final inning and wrap up for CNU.
All three pitchers that have seen action this season;
Hanah Marshall,
Maiven McKnight, and
Tara Heatwole; are 2-0 to start the season.
The losses for Averett Sunday dropped the Cougars to 3-6 for the season.
CNU has a busy week of home action coming up, with doubleheaders scheduled for Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday at Captains Park. The Captains will host Randolph-Macon on Wednesday beginning at 3:30 p.m.
