NEWPORT NEWS, Va.- Christopher Newport and Frostburg State played back-to-back extra inning battles Sunday, with each squad winning once at Captains Park in Capital Athletic Conference action. The Bobcats took the opener in ten innings, 13-6, before the Captains battled from behind to win the nightcap, 4-3, in eight innings on a sunny and breezy day.
CNU actaully mounted comeback efforts in both games, but the eighth-ranked Captains weren't able to register a victory in the opener. Frostburg State, after losing a three-run lead late, blew open the hotly-contested conference battle with eight runs in the tenth inning to put an end to CNU's eight-game winning streak.
The Captains trailed 5-2 in game one heading to the bottom of the seventh, before rallying to force extra frames. Sophomore
Brittney Walters cracked a game-tieing double, scoring two runs, to even the score at 5-5...where it would stay until the disastrous tenth inning. Junior
Tara Heatwole pitched all ten innings of the opener, falling to 12-3 with the loss. Heatwole allowed 13 runs, but only six were earned, and threw 163 pitches in the defeat.
In game two, the Captains trailed for most of the way thanks to a two-run, first-inning home run from Frostburg's Hannah Tavik off CNU starter
Maiven McKnight. But McKnight settled down to pitch a gem for CNU, shutting down the Bobcats for the next six innings. FSU starter Ali Caulkins was equally impressive, shutting out the Captains through the first five innings.
CNU finally broke through in the sixth inning when junior
Rachael Shiflett doubled home two unearned runs to tie the game at 2-2. The Bobcats responded by re-claiming the lead in the top of the eighth inning to take a 3-2 advantage.
Christopher Newport escaped a sweep thanks to a rally in the bottom of the eighth that saw sophomore
Leah Andrews hit a hard smash to short that scored Shiflett to even the score at 3-3. Then Walters came to the plate and delivered in another key situation, smashing the game-winning blow with a single to left to score
Scoop Simon with the run to give the Captains a 4-3 triumph.
McKnight pitched all eight innings in the nightcap, allowing just three runs on seven hits while striking out five. She improved to 7-1 with the win.
Hannah Tavik entered both games in relief for the Bobcats, earning the victory in the opener and the loss in the nightcap. She is now 11-2 on the year.
Frostburg State is now 20-8 overall, while CNU is 28-5 on the season. The Bobcats (6-2) and Captains (8-2) both now trail Salisbury (5-1) in the CAA standings with a week to play in the conference regular season schedule. Salisbury swept a twin bill Sunday over Penn State-Harrisburg to grab the league lead for the time being.
The Captains return to play on Wednesday, travelling to Fredericksburg to take on the Eagles of Mary Washington in a CAC doubleheader. The twin bill is set to start at 2:30 p.m.
Keith Parr's squad then will conclude the regular season at home with a non-conference doubleheader against Bridgewater on Thursday and a CAC Senior Day double dip with Wesley on Saturday at Captains Park.
