SALISBURY, MD.- It took several innings for Christopher Newport's bats to wake up Thursday, but the Captains stormed back to beat Frostburg State, 4-3, in the opening round of the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament. CNU, the second seed in the five-team, double-elimination tournament, scored three runs in the fourth and then walked off with the victory by scoring the deciding run in the bottom of the seventh.

Trailing by a 3-0 margin, the Captains put together a big inning in the bottom of the fourth to even the score. Sophomore Rachael Payne led off with a double, and later scored on an RBI single from sophomore Brittney Walters. Later in the inning, senior catcher Hannah Cook stepped to the plate and delivered the big blow for the Captains. Cook smacked a two-out, two-run home run to tie the game at 3-3. The long ball was the second home run of the season for Cook.

Junior Maiven McKnight entered the game in relief of CNU starter Tara Heatwole, who gave up two runs over the first three innings to the Bobcats. After McKnight surrendered a solo run in the fourth, she pitched shutout ball over the last three innings to keep the score tied at 3-3.

Christopher Newport came to the plate in the bottom of the seventh, and only needed three batters to end the game. Cook led off with a walk followed by a single to center off the bat of senior Tori Clarke. Senior Meagan Jones, who has been out of the lineup recently due to a broken wrist, entered the game as a pinch runner for the Captains. After a passed ball moved the runners up to second and third, junior Rachael Shiflett delivered a slow roller to second. The ball was bobbled allowing Jones to cross the plate with the winning run for the Captains.

McKnight earned the victory for the Captains and is now 10-1 for the season. 

CNU, now 33-5 and ranked eighth in the country, will advance to play top-seeded and fifth-ranked Salisbury (32-4) Friday morning at 10:00 a.m. Salisbury defeated Mary Washington, 6-0, Thursday afternoon.

The Eagles of Mary Washington posted a victory over York, 2-1, in the first game played in the tournament Thursday morning.

York (25-16) will now play Frostburg State (24-13) in an elimination game late Thursday afternoon in the fourth and final game of the day.