NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Senior Nicholas Baham blasted three of CNU's nine home runs in a doubleheader sweep over Mary Washington (6-12, 1-7) on Saturday afternoon, moving into second all-time on the Captains' home run chart with 27 career round-trippers. The Captains improved to 20-2 overall, 9-0 in CAC action with a 19-8 win in game one and a 13-6 victory in game two. 

Baham highlighted another powerful outburst by the Captains' dangerous offense, which scored 32 runs on 32 hits in the two games on Saturday, and 42 total runs in the three-game sweep. CNU smashed nine home runs and scored at least one run in 14 of their 16 trips to the plate. In addition to Baham's hat trick, Seth Woodard and Trey HIcks each hit a pair, while Joseph Cutchins and Nick DiNapoli added one homer apiece. 

For the day, Baham finished with a pair of three-hit games, combining to go 6-for-11 with 3 HR, 6 RBI, and 4 runs scored. With his third dinger of the day, the senior right-handed slugger moved into a tie for second all-time with Chris Phaup. He now trails only Matt Turner, who tops the CNU chart with 51 career blasts. 

During the first game of the day, CNU raced out to a 7-0 lead after two innings with the biggest blow coming off of Woodard's bat in the bottom of the second. The senior smashed a no-doubt home run to left field for a three-run blast, putting CNU ahead 4-0. Eric O'Brien had an RBI double and Hicks singled in a run to cap a 6-run second frame that put CNU in control. 

Mary Washington threatened to claw back into it with a five-run inning in the top of the third, but the Captains offense never relented, scoring four more in the middle innings and eight in the seventh and eighth combined. DiNapoli and Baham went back-to-back in the bottom of the fourth, including a mammoth shot by Baham for his first of the day. Late in the game, CNU showcased it's good eye at the plate, with four walks in the final two frames; the Captains also got drilled four times, earning eight free passes as the score grew to a final, 19-8. 

In game two, Mary Washington took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, but Baham made sure it didn't last through the frame with a three-run home run in the bottom half. Conner Clark walked and stole second before Woodard also reached to set up the go-ahead hit early, giving the Captains a lead they would never relinquish. 

Held scoreless in only two frames during the day, CNU scored nine more runs over the next seven innings to pull away from the Eagles for the win. On the mound, junior Teddy Herbert (5-1) picked up the win with a strong 7-inning performance, striking out nine. During one stretch in the game, Herbert retired 12 of 13 batters. 

After giving way to Carter Strain, who retired two in the 8th, the Captains went to junior lefty Brian Owens with a dominant showing of his own. Owens got out of an 8th-inning jam on four pitches to strike out Kevin France, and then blew by the Eagles with a perfect ninth, striking out the side. Owens needed just 19 pitches to strike out all four batters he faced, lowering his ERA to 1.10 in a team-high 13 appearances. Owens has now struck out 24 batters in 16.1 innings of relief. 

CNU swept their third consecutive CAC series and has now outscored league opponents by a total of 142-42 in nine games this season. The Captains have scored in double figures in nine of their last ten games and are now averaging 12.3 runs per game to lead the nation in Division III and rank second across all three NCAA divisions, trailing only Division I New Mexico State. 

The Captains will return to action on Wednesday, April 3 at 3:00 pm as they host Marymount University in non-conference action.