LYNCHBURG, Va. -- The Christopher Newport baseball team won it's sixth straight game on Tuesday afternoon when the Captains went on the road to beat Lynchburg, 9-4. Freshman Scott Crosson drove in five runs and scored twice to lead the way offensively while the Captains pitching staff put together another strong outing overall. 

Crosson delivered a bases-clearing triple in the top of the ninth inning to cushion a 6-4 lead, extending a six-game hitting streak. He finished with just the lone hit but plated a season-high five runs batted in to match the most for a freshman since Jon Hurd drove in 7 at Southern Virginia on April 7, 2001. The Chesapeake, Va. native added an RBI groundout in the first inning and a sacrifice fly in the third to round out his run-producing plate appearances on the day. 

With the victory, the Captains improved to 16-7 while Lynchburg slipped to 22-11. Jay Cassady, the reigning CAC Player of the Week, started and earned his second straight win on the mound with 5.0 IP on Tuesday. He improved to 2-2 on the season while rookie Matt Gaither got the final four outs for his second career save. 

CNU jumped on top with three runs in the top of the first, taking advantage of a pair of Lynchburg errors. Conner Clark reached on the first miscue and quickly found himself on third base after a groundball out and an obstruction call on a pick-off. With only one out, Eric O'Brien paid off the early threat with an RBI single up the middle. A throwing error extended the inning and allowed Crosson to step in with a runner at third. He grounded into a fielder's choice to plate the second run of the inning and beat out the throw on the would-be double play. That would bring up Cassady, playing both ways for the first time in his career, and the rookie pitcher/DH helped his own cause with an RBI double to the left center field gap. 

Lynchburg cut the lead to one, 3-2, with single runs in the first and second, but CNU re-took a two-run advantage in the top of the third on Crosson's sac fly. In the fourth, Ethan Weaver singled to lead off the frame and moved up on a sacrifice bunt and wild pitch. Clark then grounded out to the right side to plate Weaver as CNU again took a three-run lead, 5-2. 

That run would prove to be enough for Cassady and a pair of relievers, but Crosson's bases-clearing triple in the ninth added insurance. Cassady got through 5.0 innings but worked into some trouble to start the sixth. With one run already in, the Captains called on Danny Checkosky to wiggle out of a jam with runners at the corners and nobody out. Quickly he came through, inducing a double play around the horn and picking up another groundball to get out of the inning without another run crossing the plate.

In the seventh, Checkosky retired the side in order with a strikeout and then got the first two outs in the eighth. With a runner on first and two outs, the tying run was at the plate in the bottom of the eighth when Gaither came on to pitch. The freshman lefty struck out the first batter he faced to close the eighth and then faced only three batters in the ninth with a walk, double play, and lazy fly ball to clinch the win. 

Crosson was 1-for-4 with 2 runs and 5 RBI to lead the way while Cassady chipped in his fifth straight multi-hit performance with a 2-for-5 showing and 2 RBI. O'Brien was 3-for-5 while Jonathan Fisher reached twice in five plate appearances with one hit and a walk. 

Christopher Newport will stay on the road this weekend for a three-game series at Methodist University. The Captains and Monarchs will play a doubleheader on Saturday, April 24 before a single game on Sunday, April 25. Live stats will be available for all three games.