NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport split a Capital Athletic Conference doubleheader on Saturday in Fredericksburg to conclude the regular season for both squads. The Eagles came from behind in the opener to record a 5-3 victory, followed by a CNU triumph in the nightcap, 18-1.

Keith Parr's squad now heads to the CAC Tournament with a record of 28-6 overall and 9-3 in conference action. The Captains will be the second seed in the tourney, hosting games next Friday and Saturday at Captains Park. CNU finished tied for first with Mary Washington at 9-3 atop the conference standings. The Eagles, now 19-16 and 9-3, will be the top seed and will also host opening round games next weekend. UMW took the top seed by virtue of the tiebreaker, a doubleheader sweep over York this season while the Captains split with the Spartans.

The Captains, ranked fifth in the country this week, squandered a 3-0 lead in the opening game in Fredericksburg Saturday. The Eagles plated two runs in the fourth frame and three more in the sixth for the 5-3 victory. CNU left 11 runners on base, were victimized by four errors, and out-hit the Eagles, 9-5, in the defeat. Only one of Mary Washington's five runs was earned. 

Freshman Kaitlyn Hasty, sophomore Natalie Carmichael, and junior Grace Wild delivered run-scoring hits in the opening game for the Captains.  

Christopher Newport dominated the nightcap by scoring ten times in the second inning and six more in the fourth en route to the 18-1 win. The game was halted after five innings due to the eight-run rule. The Captains scored 18 times on 17 base hits in the regular season-ending victory.

Freshman Sarah Proctor drove in five runs for CNU with a single and a double, while Carmichael also singled and doubled and added three more RBIs to give her four for the day. Freshman Caitlin Abernethy posted two singles and scored four times in game two. Sophomore Emily Weatherholtz pitched all five innings to earn the victory and improve to 10-1 on the season. Weatherholtz yielded just one run on three hits and struck out four.

CNU, the top home run hitting team in the country, did not record a long ball all weekend in the back-to-back road splits with Salisbury and Mary Washington. The Captains have hit 46 homers this year, just four shy of a school record.

The bracket for the 2019 CAC Tournament will not be finalized until Monday once all games are completed. Salisbury still has to play a make-up twin bill on Monday at Frostburg State.

The CAC tourney this year will be played over two weekends, with action at the top two seeds, Mary Washington and CNU, next Friday and Saturday, April 26th & 27th. Christopher Newport will be joined by the third and fifth seeds at Captains Park. CNU will play at noon Friday against the third-seeded squad, followed by the third and fifth seeds playing at 2:00 p.m. The Captains will return to play the fifth seed in the final game of the day at 4:00 p.m. The double-elimination pod will continue on Saturday with action starting at 10:00 a.m.

The two victors that emerge next weekend will advance to the championship series at the higher remaining seed on Friday, May 3rd, and Saturday, May 4th.