NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport University's championship hopes were dashed Saturday afternoon, as top-seeded Salisbury captured the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference softball title. The Sea Gulls defeated the second-seeded Captains, 8-6, in the final at 5 Diamonds at Infinity Fields softball complex near Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Keith Parr's Captains had advanced to the title game earlier in the day with an 11-1 victory ousting the University of Mary Washington from the tournament. The game went just five innings due to the eight-run mercy rule.

Christopher Newport now has a record of 28-12, and the Captains will await word on a possible at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The bracket for the tourney is expected to be released on Monday.

In the Championship game, the Captains surged to a 6-2 lead with six runs in the fourth inning. The Gulls bounced back, though, to plate six of their own in the sixth for the 8-6 final margin. CNU's six-run outburst began with an RBI fielder's choice off the bat of senior Keely Crittenden, followed by a two-run single from junior Caitlin Abernethy. Later in the fourth, junior Kaitlyn Hasty clubbed a three-run home run to give the Captains a 6-2 edge. It was Hasty's tenth home run of the season, and 33rd of her career.

The Sea Gulls used the long ball in their big inning in the sixth, as sophomore Abby Mace crushed a three-run home run...and the margin of victory was provided by a two-run blast off the bat of senior Madeira Alexander to break a 6-6 tie and complete the scoring. Mace was named the MVP of the tournament, and was also the C2C's Player of the Year this season. Salisbury is now 24-7 and receives the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Gulls did not lose a game in the tournament, going 3-0, and the victory was the fifth in six games with the Captains this season.

Captains starting pitcher, sophomore Abby Rochette, made her first start of the season and just her fifth appearance in the pitching circle. She allowed four earned runs in five innings and took the loss in her first decision as a Captain.

Earlier in the day, the Captains opened the game with a home run from senior Maddie Hool in the bottom of the first inning, and ended it with a walk-off grand slam from senior Patty Maye Ohanian in the fifth in an 11-1 victory over Mary Washington. The game ended due to the eight-run mercy rule following Ohanian's sixth long ball of the season and 37th of her career. The shot to end the game gave her five runs batted in in the game. Juniors Hasty and Caroline Helmer each had three singles in the triumph to advance the Captains to the title game. Senior Emily Weatherholtz improved her record to 15-3 after throwing five innings, allowing just one run on five hits.

Following the completion of the three-day competition, three Captains were selected to the All-Tournament squad. Junior Kaitlyn Hasty, and seniors Maddie Hool and Keely Crittenden were honored for their play from the CNU squad.