Box Score in HTML Format

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Eleven different players combined for 13 hits as the Christopher Newport baseball team kicked off an eight-game road trip with a 9-2 victory at Gallaudet University on Sunday afternoon. The Captains (9-4) were led by rookie Conner Clark, who reached base four times and scored twice. 

Gallaudet fell to 2-6-1 after the setback courtesy of an early blitz by the CNU offense, which scored six runs in the first three innings. On the other side of the field, rookie Josh Husby (2-0) put together another strong start by tossing five shutout innings en route to the victory. 

CNU jumped on the Bison in the top of the first inning with four runs on three hits. Jordan Mason led off with a double to right field, followed by a pair of free passes to load the bases. Senior designated hitter Brandon Ginch then delivered a 2-RBI single through the left side for the first runs of the game. Craig Johnson followed with a rope into center field to score another and CNU would tack on antoher run later in the inning off an error by the second baseman. 

In the second, Mason would reach again, this time courtesy of an error, and would come around to score two batters later when Seth Woodard drove a double to left field to extend his season-opening hit streak to 13 games. The six-run burst over the first three innings would be capped in the bottom of the third when CNU registered back-to-back doubles.  With two outs in the inning, Ryan Grubbs doubled to right field and Austin Henry plated him with a blast just inside the left field line. It was Henry's first start since February 18 and his first career appearance at the keystone. He finished 1-for-3 with a perfect 3-for-3 in fielding opportunities. 

CNU tacked on one more run in the top of the fourth on a sacrifice fly from pinch hitter John Anderson. Conner Clark singled to center field to lead off the inning and promptly stole second. He moved up to third on a fly ball and scored on Anderson's deep fly to center field. 

With a 7-0 lead, Husby worked around baserunners in each of the first four innings, but did not allow a run. In the fifth, the rookie saved his best inning for last, sandwiching a pair of ground balls around a strikeout, his fourth. In relief, four Captains worked an inning each led by perfect appearances from Teddy Herbert and Carter Strain. 

Gallaudet struck for two runs in the bottom of the eighth, but CNU re-took a seven run lead with two more in the bottom of the ninth. Austin Altman delivered the two-run blow for the Bison while, for CNU, Clark smacked an RBI single and Anderson earned a bases loaded walk for his second RBI of the day. 

The Captains improve to 9-4 and open the eight-game road trip with a win. CNU will now head to Myrtle Beach for three games later this week, starting with a Noon first pitch against Bridgewater College on Tuesday, March 6.