BUENA VISTA, Va. -- Playing in the first of four road conference games in the next four days, the Captains shook off the rust from not playing in over a week to capture an 8-7 win at Southern Virginia (13-11, 4-8) on Thursday afternoon. Conner Clark led the attack with four hits, a pair of steals, and three runs scored. 

Christopher Newport improved to 25-3 overall with a 12-1 mark in conference play in the makeup game after last weekend's series at Southern Virginia was washed out due to rainfall. CNU has now won 25 or more games in four straight seasons for the first time since 2002-05 and it is the 14th time in 19 seasons under head coach John Harvell that CNU has won 25 games in a season. 

In Thursday's midweek tilt against Southern Virginia, the Captains took a pair of two-run leads early in the game and led by as many as five before the home team rallied for four runs late in the game. CNU never gave up the lead, though, and junior Brian Owens slammed the door for his second save of the season with 2.2 innings of no-hit relief. 

Taking the ball with the tying run 90 feet from home and just one out in the bottom of the 7th inning, Owens induced a key groundball out as Seth Woodard fired home to retire the would-be game-tying run for the second out. Owens then struck out the next batter to escape the jam stranding two runners and holding CNU's 8-7 lead. 

The junior lefty stayed in the game for CNU on the mound in the eighth and ninth, allowing just a single runner to reach on an error. He struck out three more and finished out the game with 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, and 4 K. He closed the book on the Knights and ensured Kyle Darmstead (4-0) of the win for CNU. Darmstead started and went five innings for CNU, striking out a pair and allowing three runs on six hits. 

Before the thrilling finish, the Captains put together four two-run frames offensively as the offense got back to work for the first time in eight days. Nicholas Baham got CNU on the board in the top of the first with a two-run single to plate Clark and Woodard. Then, two innings later it was Baham again with an RBI single for the first run in the inning. Trey Hicks added a sacrifice fly later in the inning to put CNU ahead, 4-2. 

Clark continued to be a catalyst for CNU in the fourth inning as he singled and scored in each of the first two scoring frames for the Captains. In the fourth, he singled again and moved Joseph Cutchins into scoring position for Woodard, who blistered a run-scoring knock into right field for the RBI. Clark advanced to third on the hit and then scored later when Nick DiNapoli grounded out to the left side of the infield. 

Rounding out CNU's offensive efforts in the 6th inning, DiNapoli walked and moved up to second on Baham's third hit of the day with a single into right center. The bases were then loaded on a walk by Jordan Mason, setting up another RBI for Hicks with a groundball to the third baseman. Ryan Grubbs then stepped in and delivered an RBI single to left field to put CNU ahead, 8-3. 

Southern Virginia clawed back courtesy of a three-error inning by CNU in the seventh, leading to four unearned runs for the home team. With two on and one out, the Captains called on Owens in relief. 

CNU will return to action this Saturday as they travel to face Penn State Harrisburg in CAC action for a three-game series. A doubleheader against the Lions will begin at Noon on Saturday with a single game set for a 1:00 pm start on Sunday.