NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The nationally-ranked Christopher Newport softball team will put it's 11-game winning streak on the line this weekend with a pair of non-conference doubleheaders scheduled at Captains Park. The Captains (11-1) will first host Penn State-Behrend for two starting at 1:00 pm on Saturday, March 16, followed by a twin bill against Roanoke College at 1:30 pm Sunday afternoon.
Live video will be available for all four games and live stats for the Sunday matchup against Roanoke College. Links to all can be found on the softball schedule at CNUsports.com.
The first game against Penn State-Behrend will be just the fourth matchup all-time between the two clubs, with Christopher Newport holding a slim 2-1 advantage in the series. CNU and Roanoke have gone head-to-head 20 times prior to Sunday's battle, with CNU owning a 13-7 lead in the rivalry.
CNU is coming off a doubleheader sweep of 13th-ranked University of Lynchburg, winning 12-4 in six innings and 4-0 in a complete-game shutout by
Aubrey Bates. The wins extended CNU's win streak to 11 games, including a 7-1 mark at home. Penn State-Behrend is 6-4 overall this season after playing 10 games in one week in Florida to open the season. Roanoke is 10-3 after a split against Greensboro on Sunday, March 10 in their last action. The Maroons also trekked to Florida for eight games on their spring break trip.
The Captains pitching staff has already registered six shutouts this season, ranking fifth in the nation and matching a program record for the most blankings in the first 12 games of the year. Bates and
Emily Weatherholtz each have a pair of solo shutouts to lead the way as the CNU arms have combined for a 1.42 team ERA so far this season. Bates is 5-1 with a 1.20 ERA, striking out 31 batters in 35.0 innings pitched, while Weatherholtz is 5-0 with a 1.85 ERA and 28 K's in 30.1 IP.
On the offensive side of the ball, rookie
Kaitlyn Hasty led a power surge against Lynchburg to move into a tie for the team lead in home runs (3) and RBI (16) with
Patty Maye Ohanian. Hasty is hitting .455 in her first year and has six extra-base hits so far. Junior
Grace Wild is leading the squad with a .528 average and seven extra-base hits while scoring a team-best 17 times.
Penn State-Behrend has hit just two home runs this season but hit .316 as a unit and have scored 61 runs in their first 10 games. Senior A.J. Nichols leads the way with 13 RBI and seven extra-base hits while hitting .389. Fellow senior Carson Hauser is hitting .371 with 6 RBI and 10 runs scored, while stealing six bases.
Roanoke also has just two round-trippers this season but boasts a .345 team average while scoring 94 times in 13 games played. Rookie outfielder Rebecca Hensley is leading the charge with a .525 average, 10 RBI and 16 runs scored. Sophomore Brooke Trapuzzano is also hitting .436 with a team-high 14 RBI. In the circle, senior Teresa Wagner has tossed five complete games and boasts a 0.72 ERA in 29.1 IP.
Following the weekend's action, CNU will host William Peace University on Wednesday, March 20 at 3:30 pm.
