MIDDLETOWN, Pa. -- The nation's leading offense in NCAA Division I, II or III was on display again Saturday afternoon as the second-ranked Captains baseball team scored 31 runs and swept a Capital Athletic Conference doubleheader at Penn State Harrisburg. Christopher Newport improved to 27-3 overall and 14-1 in conference play with a pair of dominant victories, downing the Lions 18-6 and 13-4. 

CNU will take on Penn State Harrisburg (23-10, 11-6) for the series finale on Sunday as the Captains look for a sweep in conference play. 

The backstop/DH combo for the Captains had an impressive performance in the twin bill as senior Ryan Grubbs and sophomore Eric O'Brien combined to go 12-for-19 at the plate with extra-base hits. O'Brien blistered five doubles on the day, including three in the second, while Grubbs smashed a pair of home runs. While catching in game one, Grubbs drove in a team-high six RBI and he tacked on two more as designated hitter in game two. 

Coming into the game averaging a nationwide leading 12.1 runs per game, the Captains stretched that pace with 31 runs in the doubleheader on Saturday. The potent offense smashed 18 extra-base hits, nine in each game, and belted 31 total hits in the CAC matchup. 

In the first game, CNU trailed 2-1 after five innings before the offense blew the game open with six runs in the sixth and 11 over the final three frames. Sophomore Josh Husby (7-1) was the benefactor of the run support, picking upt he win despite allowing five earned over 6.2 innings of work. Four relievers combined to give up just one unearned run in the final 2.1 innings with a pair of strikeouts. 

Offensively, the Captains took the lead when Grubbs smashed a two-run double in the sixth to kickstart the six-run inning. O'Brien added a triple to his five-double day in the next at-bat, plating Grubbs, and the sophomore DH trotted home on a single up the middle by Joseph Cutchins. Two batters later, Woodard belted a two-run home run and the Captains took a 7-2 lead. 

An inning later, Nicholas Baham left the yard to deep center field to lead off the 7th and Grubbs added an opposite field two-run shot. In the 8th, patience at the plate helped CNU pile up seven more runs on four hits. Woodard walked twice in the inning and four Captains earned free passes in the inning. Baham and Jordan Mason had back-to-back RBI singles and O'Brien drove in a pair with a double into the corner. 

In game two, CNU took a 6-1 lead after three and continued to add to the advantage throughout the game. O'Brien led things off with a two-run double in the second, while Cutchins and Woodard also added RBI knocks in the four-run frame. In the top of the third, Grubbs delivered his second two-run home run of the day as CNU opened up the early lead. 

The Lions closed to within two runs, 6-4, with three in the bottom half of the third, but the Captains bullpen took over in the fourth and shut down the home team the rest of the way. Gray Goodrich started things off with 1.1 innings of one hit relief, striking out one. Tyler Jumper was perfect in two frames, retiring six straight, and was followed by Carter Strain striking out the side in the eighth. With a big lead in hand, Corey Williams slammed the door in the ninth with a strikeout, walk, and groundball double play. The pitching staff combined to hold Penn State Harrisburg to just six hits while striking out seven. 

While Grubbs and O'Brien led the way offensively, Woodard had a pair of home runs and drove in five. He walked four times in the doubleheader and has 35 free passes on the season, ranking third most in program history.

CNU will close the three-game set at Penn State Harrisburg with first pitch slated for 1:00 pm on Sunday, April 21. The Captains will then return home to host York (Pa.) next weekend in the final CAC series of the year.