NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Misericordia University Cougars scored a combined 18 runs in the first three innings of both games on Friday afternoon to pull away from the top-ranked Christopher Newport baseball team and take a 2-0 lead in the NCAA Newport News Regional Series. The Captains (35-9) suffered an 8-4 loss in game one before dropping a 14-9 decision in the second game of the series opening doubleheader.
Misericordia improved to 34-11 with the two wins, and take a big lead in the best-of-five series that will determine who advances to next week's NCAA Super Regional.
After the third inning, the Captains bullpen allowed just one earned run over 11.0 innings as they shut down the manufacturing Misericordia offense. Unfortunately for CNU, the Cougars pitching staff also did an exceptional job keeping the Captains at bay.
Sophomore
Carter Strain had the best day on the mound for CNU, pitching a career-high 4.1 innings of work while allowing five hits and striking out a pair. He held the Cougars scoreless through the bulk of the first game in relief of starter
Josh Husby (9-3).
Misericordia scored six runs in the top of the first inning to take a lead that would hold for starter Ian McCole (11-1). The MAC Freedom Pitcher of the Year pitched into the 8th inning for the Cougars and gave up just four earned runs against the vaunted CNU attack.
Nicholas Baham delivered an RBI single in the first and then scored a run in the bottom of the fourth when
Eric O'Brien pounded a single into center field. O'Brien started a small rally in the seventh with an infield single, and moved up to third on a single by
Joseph Cutchins.
Conner Clark drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, but the Captains could not get another run across.
The Cougars had a runner on third with just one out in the 8th when the Captains called on
Andrew Suppa to get out of the jam. The junior reliever induced an inning-ending double play to keep the lead at 8-3. The Captains offense tried to carry the momentum in the bottom half. With two outs,
Ryan Grubbs and O'Brien hit back-to-back singles. Cutchins was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Clark, who was also drilled to bring in a run. The game-tying run was at the plate, but the rally ended there for CNU and the Captains were unable to score again in the 9th.
O'Brien was 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored to lead the way in the first game. Clark was 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run scored.
In game two, the Captains put four runs on the board in the top of the first as they looked to change the momentum.
Seth Woodard and
Nick DiNapoli walked and the bases were loaded on a single to right field by Baham. With two outs,
Trey Hicks pounded a 2-RBI single up the middle to get CNU on the board. Keeping the rally going, Grubbs nearly left the yard with a long double off the top of the wall in left center field to give the Captains a 4-0 lead.
Despite being staked to the early lead, the Captains pitching staff surrendered the lead with one run in the first, two in the second, and seven in the third. Facing a 10-4 deficit early, the Captains offense could not get going until the ninth inning, when the Cougars had extended the lead to 14-4.
Potentially creating some momentum at the plate for the series, CNU scored five runs in the top of the ninth before closing out the game in a 14-9 loss. Woodard reached on a hit-by-pitch and pinch hitter
John Anderson walked. Baham singled into center field to load the bags again, and senior
Jordan Mason hammered a hard grounder through the right side for an RBI. That brought up
Trey Hicks for the biggest highlight of the day for the Captains offense.
Misericordia called on reliever Kyle Rogalski to face Hicks and the first pitch he saw, the junior right fielder sent a missile over the left field wall for a grand slam. His 12th homer of the season gave the transfer a 6-RBI game in the regional while going 2-for-5 at the plate.
CNU had four multi-hit performances in game two, including a 3-for-5 showing by Mason with an RBI and run scored. Baham, Hicks, and O'Brien also had two-hit days.
Woodard worked three walks in the doubleheader, giving him 58 on the season. His season is now tied for 13th all-time in Division III history.
Game three is set to begin at Noon on Saturday with game four slated for an approximate 3:30 pm start, if necessary. Live stats and video will be available at CNUsports.com.
Press Conferences:
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