NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - The 2018 Capital Athletic Conference Softball Tournament gets underway Friday afternoon, as play begins at 12:00 p.m. at Captains Park. The top-seeded Captains will host the Lions of Penn State-Harrisburg, the sixth seed, in the first of three games in the double-elimination pod. Fourth-seeded Frostburg State will then play Penn State-Harrisburg at 2:00 p.m. followed by the Captains returning to the field to take on Frostburg State at 4:00 p.m. 

The three-team pod will be decided on Saturday, and the winner will advance to a best-of-three championship next weekend against the victor of the three-team pod playing this weekend in Salisbury, Md. The second-seeded Sea Gulls will be hosting third-seeded York and fifth-seeded Mary Washington. Next weekend's games will be played at the highest remaining seed. 

CNU, riding a nine-game wining streak, is 30-6 on the year and finished 13-1 in league play. Frostburg State has a 20-14 mark and the Bobcats were 7-7 in conference action. Penn State-Harrisburg comes into the tournament with a 14-16 overall record and a 4-10 CAC record. Keith Parr's squad is ranked eighth in the country this week, and the Captains are 16-4 at home this season and won all four games played against Frostburg State and Penn State-Harrisburg this season.

CNU is led at the plate by senior shortstop Rachael Payne, the national and conference Player of the Week this week, and freshman Patty Maye Ohanian. Payne is currently hitting .456 for the year, but boasts a .617 average in CAC games. Ohanian's average is .496 and also tops the team in hits (58), runs batted in (48), and slugging percentage (.795).

In the pitching circle, sophomore Aubrey Bates has been honored as the CAC's Pitcher of the Week the last three weeks, and four times in all this season. Bates is 14-1 and has a two-year career total of 26 victories to just four losses. 

Tickets for the games at Captains Park will be available beginning Friday morning at hte entrances of Captains Park and will be $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for students, seniors, and children. CNU students with valid ID will be admitted free.

Live video and live stats of al games will be streamed at CNUsports.com/live.

The complete schedule:

Pod A (1, 4, and 6 seeds) - at Christopher Newport
Day 1 - Friday, Apr. 27
Game 1 - #1 Christopher Newport vs. #6 Penn State Harrisburg, noon
Game 2 - #4 Frostburg State vs. #6 Penn State Harrisburg, 2 p.m. 
Game 3 - #1 Christopher Newport seed vs. #4 Frostburg State, 4 p.m. 

Day 2 - Saturday, Apr. 28 - IF THREE TEAMS REMAIN
Game 4 - 4 seed vs. 6 seed, 10 a.m.
Game 5 - 1 seed vs. game 4 winner, noon

Day 2 - Saturday, Apr. 28 - IF TWO TEAMS REMAIN
Game 4 - 2-0 team vs. 1-1 team, 10 a.m. 
Game 5 (if necessary) - noon - Winner advances to championship