ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. -- Sophomore Josh Husby (4-1) turned in the finest pitching performance of his career and senior Ryan Grubbs belted five hits in six at-bats to lead the second-ranked Christopher Newport baseball team to a dominating 18-1 win at St. Mary's College of Maryland (5-7-1, 0-4) on Saturday afternoon. The Captains improved to 15-2 overall and 4-0 in Capital Athletic Conference play after the win and will return to action for a twin bill against the Seahawks on Sunday. 

CNU has now won six straight games after opening the year on a nine-game roll. The Captains have scored in double figures in four of those six wins, including Saturday's 19-hit showing on the road in conference play. 

While the offense pumped out 19 hits, including six for extra bases, it was a sterling pitching performance from Josh Husby that was not to be overshadowed. Husby tossed an efficient eight innings of three-hit ball, allowing just one unearned run along the way. The sophomore right-hander struck out six and issued only one free pass on a hit-by-pitch, facing just four batters over the minimum through eight innings of work. 

Husby gave up a single in the first inning and two more in the second. From there, he was unhittable. He retired the side in order in five of the next six innings and seemingly got better as the day went on. He struck out three straight batters to end the seventh and start the eighth inning, and then triggered a 1-6-3 double-play to end the eighth and cap his stellar outing. 

With the sophomore leading them on the mound, the Captains gave him plenty of support throughout the game. CNU scored 10 runs in the first three innings, added three in the fifth, and five more between the seventh and eighth inning. Grubbs led the way with five hits, including a pair of doubles, while Trey Hicks was 3-for-4 with a homer. Conner Clark, Seth Woodard, Jordan Mason, and Austin Henry all logged multiple-hit games in the win while John Anderson and Evan Baer each reached twice via the walk. 

CNU took control in the third inning when Hicks led off the inning with a solo home run. After Grubbs doubled two pitches later, Anderson was plunked to put two on with nobody out. Clark singled to load the bases and Woodard delivered a sacrifice fly for the second run of the inning. After an error by the third baseman led to two more runs, Nicholas Baham and Mason went back-to-back with singles, scoring another as CNU built a 10-0 lead. 

As the Captains went to the reserves in the seventh inning, the hits kept coming. Senior Joseph Cutchins got things started in the inning with a single, followed by a single by Grubbs. Then, with two outs, Henry singled in a run and Clark doubled in another. Andrew Suppa was at the plate when another run raced home on an error as CNU tacked on three more runs in the inning. In the 8th, rookie Michael Martorano plated Baer with an RBI double and Grubbs capped the scoring with a run-scoring two-base hit as well. 

Closing out the win on the mound, sophomore Gray Goodrich made his return to the mound after an injury had sidelined him since the second game of the season. Goodrich allowed on hit and struck out two in a shutout ninth inning to help CNU pick up their sixth straight win. 

CNU will return to action on Sunday against the Seahawks to wrap up the three-game series on the road. First pitch of the first game in the doubleheader is slated for Noon.