NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Wrapping up the four-game season series against nationally-ranked Salisbury University, the Christopher Newport baseball team suffered a 7-5 setback at Captains Park on Wednesday afternoon. The Captains (16-8, 8-4) took a 4-1 lead into the sixth inning but the fourth-ranked Sea Gulls (17-3, 10-1) came from behind to snap a six-game winning streak for Christopher Newport.
The Christopher Newport offense touched up one of the nation's top pitchers in senior Clayton Dwyer, but the Sea Gulls starter ended up earning the win despite giving up a season-high four runs to the Captains. Dwyer earned the win, improving to 7-0 on the season, after allowing four runs, all earned, on seven hits and three walks.
Leading the offense was the red-hot bat of
Jay Cassady, delivering his sixth consecutive two-hit performance at the dish. Cassady drove in the first run of the game for the Captains with a double to left center and later ripped a hard groundball into the right field corner for his first career triple. Riding a ten-game hitting streak, Cassady is now hitting .387 with 12 extra-base hits on the season.
The freshman left-hander also started on the mound for the Captains and kept the dangerous Salisbury lineup off balance through the first five frames. He allowed only one run on five hits while taking a 4-1 advantage into the sixth. That's when the Sea Gulls chased Cassady from the mound with a big inning started by Stephen Rice with a single into left center. Two batters later, Scott Cameron smacked a two-run triple into the corner and then promptly scored on a game-tying RBI single from Christian Murphy.
Two more runs came in to score after Cassady was relieved, giving the Sea Gulls a 6-4 lead.
Christopher Newport cut the lead in half in the bottom of the seventh after Cassady got the offense moving again with his two-out triple.
Daniel Elliott singled into left field to plate Cassady;
Derek Furr then singled into left center to move Elliott up to third but the Captains were unable to tie the game.
Salisbury regained the two-run advantage, where it would stay, with a single run against
Matt Gaither in the top of the eighth. The manufactured run came after two sacrifice bunts and an error when Luke Weddell flared a soft single over the drawn in infield.
In addition to Cassady's performance at the plate, senior
Eric O'Brien had a stellar performance with a 3-for-5 showing with one run scored. Elliott rounded out the multi-hit games for CNU with a 2-for-5 effort and a pair of RBI. Also,
Conner Clark added an RBI double and
Jonathan Fisher singled in a run.
The Captains will close out the road portion of their regular season schedule this Saturday as they travel to Southern Virginia University for a C2C Doubleheader. The first game was originally scheduled for Friday, April 30 but was moved to the front end of a twin bill against the Knights on Saturday, starting at Noon.
