NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Three Christopher Newport errors led to four unearned runs Saturday as top-ranked Texas Lutheran defeated the Captains, 4-2, in NCAA Tournament play in Seguin, Texas. The loss in the double-elimination regional hosted by the Bulldogs ended the season for CNU, and the Captains finished the year with a mark of 28-14. Keith Parr's team had already dropped a 3-2 decision to Emmanuel (Mass.) on Friday on the opening day of the six-team regional.

The Captains, seeded third and ranked 11th in the country, out-hit TLU by a 7-6 margin. Senior second baseman Maddie Hool and junior outfielder Sarah Proctor each had two hits for Christopher Newport, but the Captains stranded eight on base, including the bases loaded in the fifth frame.

Texas Lutheran, top-ranked in the nation and the top seed, scored unearned runs in each of the first two innings off CNU starter Gracie Vallejos. The Captains got on the board in the top of the third when senior designated player Patty Maye Ohanian singled home Hool to make it 2-1.

The game was delayed twice by rain at Ed Kruse Stadium, and following the second delay the Bulldogs added two more unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth to open a 4-1 advantage. The Captains made it closer in the top of the seventh when junior third baseman Kaitlyn Hasty smacked a solo home run with two outs, but the Captains could get no closer. The home run was the 11th of the season for Hasty.

Vallejos gave up four hits and no earned runs in four innings of pitching while striking out four. She took the loss to fall to 12-8 for the season. Ashlyn Strother went the distance for the Bulldogs, and improved her record to 11-1 on the season. Texas Lutheran, the defending NCAA Champion from 2019, is now 30-4 and advances to play in the regional final on Sunday.

The game was just the second ever with Texas Lutheran, and the Captains had beaten the Bulldogs, 10-2 in five innings, last year in the Leadoff Classic in Tucson, Arizona. The trip to the NCAA Tournament was the 14th straight for Christopher Newport, and the Captains now have an all-time record of 38-36 in NCAA games.