NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Ranking second in the nation in walks coming into the game, the top-ranked Christopher Newport baseball team showcased that patience with 15 free passes on Wednesday afternoon, helping lead to another blowout victory. The Captains won their 12th straight game with a 16-4 win over Marymount University (11-13), marking the tenth win by 10 or more runs this season for Christopher Newport. 

While the Captains offense worked 15 walks, the Christopher Newport pitching staff didn't issue a single free pass until the ninth inning, and held the Saints to just two hits after the third inning. Corey Williams (1-0) picked up the win as the first of five bullpen arms that each tossed one inning of shutout relief. 

After falling behind 1-0 on a solo home run by Luke Tyree to lead off the game, the Captains leaned on that patience at the plate in the bottom half of the first to take a 3-1 lead. Nick DiNapoli walked, Nicholas Baham was hit by a pitch and Jordan Mason walked to load the bases. That would set up a bases clearing double into right center from Trey Hicks to put the Captains ahead. CNU tacked on another run in the second Seth Woodard hit a deep sacrifice fly to score Joseph Cutchins, who led off the inning with a single. 

Marymount erased the three-run lead in the third when Tyree kickstarted a Saints rally with a lead-off triple. A sacrifice fly scored the first run and a two-run homer knotted the game at four in the top of the third. 

The score would remain locked at 4 runs apiece until the bottom of the fifth when the Captains offense broke the game open with a seven-run inning. CNU sent 12 batters to the plate and registered four hits, three walks, and a hit-by-pitch in the frame for the big inning. With the bases loaded, Ryan Grubbs was drilled for an RBI HBP and two batters later, Hicks scampered home on a wild pitch. Conner Clark then delivered a big two-run single to keep the line moving and another run scored on another wild pitch. Woodard and Jordan Mason each knocked in a run in the inning with a single and a double, respectively, into left center field, capping the crooked number for CNU. 

Prior to CNU taking an 11-4 lead with the bottom of the fifth, Williams had come on in relief of starter Kyle Darmstead. Facing Tyree to open the inning, the Saints senior hit a hard grounder up the middle for what looked like a seeing-eye single, but CNU shortstop Nick DiNapoli ranged to his left, spun and fired over to first for the out. As Tyree doubled later, it would prove to be a defensive gem that was the only thing between Tyree and hitting for the cycle. 

After Williams came senior Austin Slough, who worked a 1-2-3 sixth frame with a strike out and two groundballs to short. In the seventh, Tyler Jumper also worked quickly through a perfect inning of relief with two K's and a groundball to DiNapoli. 

As CNU tacked on three more runs in the sixth and two in the seventh, the offense continued to work deep into counts and earn free passes. In the final three trips to the plate, CNU earned eight walks, including two each for Woodard, Hicks, and John Anderson. In addition to the Captains' patience at the plate, DiNapoli delivered a rocketed double to left field to score a run and Eric O'Brien chased in a run with a single into left center. 

Rounding out the strong relief outing for the CNU bullpen was Brian Owens in the 8th and Andrew Suppa in the 9th. Owens worked around a lead-off double and faced only four batters while striking out his 25th of the season and Suppa allowed the first two batters to reach, but pitched out of the mini-jam with a flyout, strikeout, and lazy groundball back to the pitcher. 

Conner Clark, Seth Woodard, and Trey Hicks led the way with 3 RBI; Hicks reached base in five of his six plate appearances going 2-for-3 with three walks. DiNapoli had a strong day overall with six assists from shortstop to go with his 2-for-4 performance at the plate. Five Captains finished with multi-hit performances as CNU delivered 16 runs on 12 hits. 

The win closes non-conference play at home for CNU in 2019 with just two home CAC series left on the schedule. The first of which comes this weekend against 15th-ranked Salisbury with a three-game set to begin on Saturday. A schedule change has been announced for the weekend series, which was originally slated for a Friday-Saturday schedule, but due to rain forecasted in Hampton Roads, the games will now be played on Saturday-Sunday. First pitch for game one is at 2:00 pm Saturday with a doubleheader scheduled for Noon on Sunday.