SALEM, Va. - Christopher Newport got the 2020 softball season off to a good start Saturday, taking both ends of a season-opening doubleheader at Roanoke College. The Captains, ranked eighth in the country in the pre-season poll, defeated the Maroons in the opener, 7-1, and then came from behind to take the nightcap, 6-4.

Senior pitcher Aubrey Bates got the season started by throwing a no-hitter in the opening game, although she did allow an unearned run in the third inning thanks to her own throwing error. Bates earned the victory by going the distance, yielding no hits while walking three and striking out six. 

Christopher Newport scored single runs in the second, third, and fifth innings before opening up the lead with three more in the sixth frame. The Captains smacked a dozen base hits off Roanoke pitching in the opener, and senior Tara Deck cracked the first home run of the season, a two-run shot in the sixth. Senior Grace Wild got the scoring started with an RBI double in the second, and later drove home a run in the fifth with a single. Sophomore Kaitlyn Hasty also brought home two runs thanks to a sacrifice fly in the third frame and a run-scoring double in the sixth.

In the nightcap, the Captains found themselves behind by a 4-1 margin after four innings of play before mounting their comeback. Keith Parr's squad plated two runs in the fifth, two more in the sixth to take the lead, and then an insurance run in the top of the seventh to provide the 6-4 verdict.

Freshman Gracie Vallejos made her debut a memorable one by pitching the final five innings in relief of junior starter Emily Weatherholtz. Vallejos gave up three unearned runs over her five innings of work to pick up the win. All four runs scored off the Captains pitchers were unearned due to four Christopher Newport errors. Roanoke, also playing for the first time this season, fell to 0-2 and also committed four miscues in the field, making only one of the Captains runs earned.

At the plate in game two, Wild started the comeback with a two-run single in the fifth inning to cut Roanoke's lead to 4-3. Junior Maddie Hool then delivered a game-tying single in the sixth to even things up at 4-4. Hasty then broke the tie by singling up the middle to put the Captains ahead for good.

The Captains, 2-0, continue their opening weekend on Sunday with another road doubleheader against an opponent from the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Christopher Newport plays at Emory & Henry Sunday with the first game scheduled for a 12:30 p.m. start.