NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- After suffering a hard-luck 1-0 loss despite allowing just two hits in the first game, the top-ranked Christopher Newport baseball team rebounded for a 7-2 win in game two of a doubleheader against 15th-ranked Salisbury (20-6-1, 10-2) to capture a pivotal Capital Athletic Conference series win. The Captains improved to 23-3 overall and 11-1 in league play after picking up two of three games against the Sea Gulls over the weekend. 

CNU saw a 13-game winning streak halted with the game one loss as Salisbury got a complete-game shutout from Jimmy Adkins (3-0) on the mound. The Captains outhit the Sea Gulls, 6-2, as junior Teddy Herbert (5-2) was the tough luck losing pitcher despite a strong outing. Herbert struck out eight batters and allowed just two singles and a walk over 6.0 innings of work. Senior Austin Slough struck out a pair in one inning of relief and sophomore Gray Goodrich punched out three in two perfect innings out of the bullpen. 

The only run in the game would come in to score in the top half of the sixth inning after a leadoff walk to Jay Perry. After Matt Padeway was hit by a pitch to put two on with nobody out, Herbert nearly escaped the jam without any damage with a strikeout and fly out to left. The next batter, Justin Meekins, hit a line drive to the left side and CNU third baseman Seth Woodard laid out and nearly made a sensational diving snag. The ball glanced off the end of his glove, though, and allowed Perry to score the game's lone run. Herbert induced an inning-ending fly ball to end the threat trailing just 1-0. 

The Captains got six hits and four walks in the game but could not come up with the timely hit in the contest. In three separate innings, the Captains had two runners on base, but were unable to move them around to score. 

The bounceback victory in game two was highlighted by another strong pitching performance and a pair of three-run innings offensively. With Nathan Clements starting, the Captains held Salisbury to just two runs in the game and only ten in the three-game set against the Sea Gulls. Clements allowed just three hits over 4.0 innings of work with two runs allowed, one earned. The bullpen worked well again, as Tyler Jumper picked up his fifth win in relief this season. The junior right-hander struck out three in two innings of shutout work. He gave way to Andrew Suppa for two more frames of clean ball, striking out a pair, and Brian Owens finished the game with one strikeout in the ninth. 

Offensively, CNU got going early with a three-run second inning to take the lead. Nicholas Baham singled to lead off and the bases were loaded after a Trey Hicks walk and a single into center field by Ryan Grubbs. Eric O'Brien, serving as the DH in game two, delivered an RBI single into center to plate the game's first run. Then, a wild pitch plated another before Joseph Cutchins could sky a sacrifice fly to left field. 

Meekins homered to start the fourth and Salisbury added another run in the inning to cut the lead to one, 3-2, but CNU never gave up the advantage and that would be all the offense the Sea Gulls could muster. Meanwhile, Conner Clark singled in a run in the fifth inning, plating O'Brien, and CNU tacked on three more in the seventh against a horde of Salisbury relievers. Clark picked up his second RBI single with a hard shot into right field and Nick DiNapoli drove in a pair with a base knock into center field. 

Four Captains finished with multi-hit games as CNU put 10 on the board in game two. For the day, Conner Clark led the offense going 4-for-9 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored. Eric O'Brien also had a four-hit day, going 2-for-4 in the opener and 2-for-3 in game two. 

Christopher Newport will hit the road for eight of their final eleven regular season contests. That stretch begins on Wednesday, April 10 as the Captains travel to Hampden-Sydney College for a 4:00 pm first pitch against the Tigers. Following that matchup, CNU will travel to Southern Virginia for CAC action on Friday and Saturday next weekend.