NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Daniel Elliott drove in five runs in a four-hit performance at the plate and added 2.1 innings of scoreless relief for good measure to lead the Christopher Newport baseball team to a 12-3 win over Roanoke at Captains Park on Tuesday afternoon. The Captains improved to 13-5 overall while the Maroons fell to 6-7. 

Elliott started the day at second base and in the cleanup spot for the Captains before quickly making an impact offensively. He singled and scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the first inning. Justin Bowers also came in to score as the Captains took a 2-0 lead after one. 

Roanoke responded with a three-run homer in the top of the second to teeter ahead of the Captains, 3-2, but Christopher Newport starter Jay Cassady strapped in from that swing and dominated the Maroons lineup the rest of his outing. After giving up the home run, Cassady retired 13 of the next 16 batters with four strikeouts to keep Roanoke from threatening again. With his offense picking him up in the middle innings, Cassady left in line for the win and improved to 4-0 on the season. 

He was lifted with two outs in the top of the sixth as Elliott came on from second base to pitch for the Captains. Elliott struck out the first five batters he faced before Conner Butler finally nicked a piece of one to pop up to the third baseman. The Captains' sophomore struck out one more and finished out the eighth inning with a fly ball to center field. In 2.1 innings of relief, Elliott gave up just one hit, struck out five and walked none. 

The Captains called on Dylan Weber to close out the win with a big lead and the veteran lefty struck out the side after issuing a leadoff walk. 

In the bottom of the fourth, CNU tied the game on an RBI single by Jonathan Fisher to chase home Brayden Hodges who had reached on a hit-by-pitch to lead off the inning. Drew Caroline sacrificed Hodges to second and Fisher's rip through the right side was enough to plate the game-tying run.

Offensively, Elliott was in the middle of each of the Captains' run-scoring innings in the fifth, sixth, and seventh as CNU opened up a big lead. In the fifth, Crosson led off with a walk and moved up to second on an errant pick-off. With a runner in scoring position, Elliott snagged the first of his five RBI with a laser into center field. Alec Reilly then delivered a hard shot up the middle for the second run of the inning and came around to score two batters later when Hodges singled. 

In the bottom of the sixth, Crosson singled and Bowers reached on a HBP to put two on for Elliott, who turned on a pitch and laced a double down the line to score two. Then in the seventh, he added another two-run base knock with a single into right field to cap a terrific 4-for-5, 5 RBI performnace. Justin Liakos added a sacrifice fly and Bowers snagged a bases loaded RBI on a free pass to cap the scoring. 

Elliott raised his season average to .447 with the four-hit effort. Bowers extended his hit streak to eight games by going 1-for-3 with an RBI and three runs scored. 

On the mound, Cassady now has 50 strikeouts in 30.0 innings pitched, marking the fastest a CNU pitcher has reached 50 strikeouts in a season. He matched his freshman year total and sits at 100 career strikeouts through 74.2 innings pitched for a 12.1 K/9 ratio in his career. Though he is shy of the 100-inning minimum to qualify, that mark would rank second all-time at Christopher Newport behind only Brian Owens' 12.49. 

The Captains will return to action this Sunday, March 20 as they play host to Virginia Wesleyan University at 1:00 p.m.