NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Christopher Newport baseball team closed the regular season with a doubleheader sweep in conference play on Saturday afternoon, defeating Penn State Harrisburg 9-0 in game one and 7-3 in game two. The Captains (25-13, 15-3) tied the single season program record for shutouts in a season with their sixth of the year in the first game, and then used a 4-run eighth inning to rally past the Lions (13-23, 7-11) in game two.
 
Prior to the game on a pristine spring day at Captains Park, Christopher Newport recognized the 2017 seniors in a pre-game Senior Day ceremony. By the end of the day, all nine players would make an impact on the two-game sweep. 
 
Elsewhere in the CAC, Salisbury picked up a sweep over York (Pa.) to clinch the regular season championship. CNU locked in as the No. 2 seed, and will host the No. 5 seed on Tuesday, April 18 at 3:30 pm. After that game, all six playoff participants will head to Salisbury, Md. for the remainder of the tournament on Thursday, April 20-Saturday, April 22.
 
In game one, a pair of seniors combined for one of the most dominant performances of the season on the mound, tossing a three-hit shutout for the Captains. Mike Thomas (7-2) did the lion's share of the work, getting through seven scoreless innings with five strikeouts. Caleb Myers then came on to slam the door, tossing two shutout frames with a pair of K's. It is only the second time in program history the pitching staff has managed six shutouts in a single season, as CNU matched the 2011 season this year.
 
With three errors in the field and three walks allowed, the Captains' senior duo was forced to work through trouble in almost every frame, but showcased their veteran composure and managed to keep the Lions off the board. Thomas picked up an exciting inning-ending double play in the top of the sixth to help secure the clean sheet. With the bases loaded and only one out, Thomas forced Chris Iocca to roll to the left side of the infield; Keith Roberts charged and started a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning. 
 
On the offensive side of the ball, CNU got on the board with two in the fourth and then scored at least one run in the next four innings to break open the blowout win. Sophomore Austin Henry got things started in what would be the start of a stellar performance for the shortstop. After J.T. Bellotti and Craig Johnson reached via the walk, and Ryan Grubbs loaded the bases with a hit-by-pitch, Henry smashed a hard shot through the left side to plate a pair of runs.
 
CNU loaded the bases again with three more walks in the fifth, and Bellotti delivered a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0. Henry then led off the sixth with a solo home run to left field, kick-starting a 3-run inning. Roberts singled and Brandon Ginch walked, setting up an RBI single by senior A.J. Nicely. Then, Ginch would trot home after a ball squirted through the infield on an error.
 
As CNU built the lead late, the senior class got involved in a big way. First, in the bottom of the 7^th, senior Collin Lawless pinch hit and drew a one-out walk. Henry then doubled, putting two runners in scoring position for senior pinch hitter Jaxn Lane. In his first career at-bat, Lane battled at the plate, seeing six pitches before shooting an RBI single into right field. The next batter, senior pinch hitter George Watkins, then delivered a sacrifice fly for his second career RBI.
 
The offensive showcase would close on Henry's bat again in the eighth. Just a triple shy of the cycle, he would settle for an RBI single, plating Nicholas Baham for the game's final run. Henry finished game one 4-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored.
 
In game two, the Captains found themselves locked in a pitcher's duel behind sophomore starter Logan Harrelson. The second-year pitcher put together a strong start for the Captains, leaving the game in line for the win after seven innings of work.
 
CNU showed off some nice leather in the second game, starting during inning number two. The Captains got a pair of impressive plays from the outfield to keep the Lions from threatening. First, Ethan Kell smashed a gapper to right center on a shot that looked destined for extra bases. Craig Johnson, the right fielder, took a perfect line to the ball, however, and was able to grab the fly ball with a fully extended catch on the run. Then, the very next batter, Tyler Aug, smashed a shot to left center but Nicely added a highlight-reel diving play onto the warning track to snare the out. Nicely raced deep to his left before making the fully-extended diving grab in the air. The second out of the sixth inning was also a nice play, as sophomore second baseman Joseph Cutchins chased a flare down the line. Cutchins was on a full-out sprint when he looked up and snagged the would-be base hit after a long run.
 
Harrelson outlasted his counterpart as the Penn State Harrisburg starter, Brendan Riotto, exited after 5.1 innings of work. Cutchins led off the bottom of the sixth with a double to left center, and moved up to third on a sacrifice bunt by Brandon Walker, chasing Riotto. With a runner on third and one out, the Captains had the hot bat of Henry at the plate. The sophomore shortstop came through again, this time with a sacrifice fly deep to center, plating the go-ahead run and putting CNU up, 3-2.
 
Harrelson came back out for the 7^th and retired the side 1-2-3 with another strikeout, his ninth, before exiting the game with a quality start. He would give way to Caleb Myers, who quickly induced a pair of ground ball outs to start the eighth, but then allowed a solo home run to tie the game as Bret Williams delivered his second round-tripper of the day. After a walk, the Captains called on junior Joe Burris to close out the eighth. A stolen base and an error would move the runner up to third representing the go-ahead run, but Burris would strand him there with an inning-ending flyout. 
 
The first two batters reached in the bottom of the eighth, as senior Josh Moore walked and Cutchins delivered a single into left field. After Penn State Harrisburg recorded the first out, the Lions chose to intentionally walk Austin Henry to load the bases and face Jordan Mason. The sophomore outfielder slammed a hard-hit groundball through the drawn in infield and drove in two runs to put the Captains up, 5-3. Roberts would add a sacrifice fly and Craig Johnson an RBI single as CNU carried a 7-3 lead into the final inning.
 
Needing just three outs for the sweep, Burris worked around some trouble to retire the side in the top of the ninth. The junior lefty induced a groundball and a pair of strikeouts around a walk and base hit to seal up the win. He improved to 3-0 this season with the 1.1 innings of relief.
 
Henry wrapped up his stellar day 4-for-6 with 6 RBI, 3 runs scored and a pair of walks. Roberts finished game two with a 2-for-4 effort, and reached base in both games, extending his now career-high on-base streak to 35 straight games.
 
The Captains will return to Captains Park once more in 2017 before closing the gates for the remainder of the year. CNU will host the first round of the CAC Tournament on Tuesday at 3:30 pm with live stats and live video available at CNUsports.com/live.