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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Christopher Newport baseball team suffered a pair of losses to 18^th-ranked Oswego State (4-2) on Saturday, falling victim to defensive mishaps and early deficits in both games. The Captains fell 5-3 in game one and then suffered a 7-4 loss in the second game.
 
Senior Michael Thomas (2-1) suffered the loss in game one despite pitching a season-high eight innings, while striking out eight batters. The Lakers took advantage of four CNU errors, scoring three unearned runs in the contest.  One came in during a three-run second inning, and two more in what would prove to be the difference-making fifth frame.
 
Oswego State scored first, getting an RBI double from Kyle Dinges, who would come around to score on a throwing error by CNU. Robert Donnelly plated another run on a single into right center before Thomas could strike out the next two batters to end the threat.
 
The Captains cut into the lead in the bottom of the fourth when Ryan Grubbs singled in a run with two outs. Nicholas Baham had singled to lead off the inning, and moved up to second on a wild pitch. Grubbs lofted a ball over first base and Baham sprinted home to make the score 3-1.
 
In the top of the fifth, though, Oswego State answered right back with two more runs. Thomas picked up back-to-back strikeouts to start the inning and looked primed for a quick inning, but Kevin Hylas reached on a swinging bunt that just hung up on the third base line. After an error extended Eric Hamilton's at-bat, he earned a walk, and then both he and Hylas would trot home to score on RBI singles by John Barnes and Myles Kutscher.
 
Thomas locked in after that, shutting down the Lakers offense for the next three innings with four groundball outs and a pair of strikeouts. He finished his day after eight innings, scattering nine hits with all five runs on his record, two earned.
 
In the bottom of the 8^th, the Captains staged a comeback, but fell short by putting just two runs on the board. Jordan Mason walked to lead off the inning and moved up when Joseph Cutchins singled into right field. Keith Roberts loaded the bases with another single, and the next two batters provided sacrifice flies to cut the lead to two, 5-3.  Baham and Ginch delivered the sac flies for CNU, but that would be the end of the Captains comeback, as senior closer Charles Arcuri came in to finish up a four-out save.
 
Mitchell Cavanagh got the win after tossing 7.0 innings for the Lakers, striking out seven and allowing just four hits. Arcuri finished his first save of the year with two strikeouts in 1.1 perfect innings of work.
 
In the second game, the Captains tied the game up at 2-2 after four innings, but Oswego State slowly added to their lead to take a 7-2 advantage into the bottom of the 8^th inning. There, CNU tacked on two runs courtesy of a mammoth two-run home run off the bat of Brandon Ginch. It would be all CNU could muster in their second attempt at a comeback, and the Lakers finished off a 7-4 win.
 
The Captains were hampered by miscues in the field all day, with 10 total errors in the doubleheader. In the second game, only three of the seven runs were earned.  In game two, Nate Matheson (1-1) suffered the loss, allowing just two hits over five innings of work. He struggled with his command, walking nine and hitting a pair of batters, but finished with eight strikeouts and just three runs allowed.
 
Tim Cronin earned the win for Oswego State, who improves to 4-2 with the doubleheader sweep.
 
Offensively, CNU was led by Ginch, who delivered his second home run of the season. He drove in three runs and scored once. Baham added a three-hit day, including his fourth double of the season in game two.
 
The Captains will be back in action on Sunday, March 5, hosting Gallaudet University at 1:00 pm.