NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport University continued its phenomenal start Saturday afternoon, posting two shutout victories over Roanoke College at Captains Park. Keith Parr's squad, ranked fourth in the nation, improved to 19-0 with wins of 9-0 and 8-0 over the 13th-ranked Maroons. Both games were shortened to five innings due to the eight-run mercy rule.

Christopher Newport again excelled at the plate as well as in the pitching circle, as the Captains extended their best start to a season in program history. Freshman pitchers Kate Alger and Jamie Martin threw back-to-back shutouts, allowing only five hits to the Maroons on a sunny and breezy afternoon at Captains Park. CNU's bats provided 17 runs on 22 hits and crushed four home runs in the doubleheader sweep Senior Kaitlyn Hasty accounted for two of the long balls, both in game two, as she added to her all-time program home run record.

Alger got the day going, pitching the opener and yielding just two singles and a walk while striking out six. She improved her record to 7-0 as the Captains scored in each of the first four innings. Junior catcher Bailey Roberts supplied an RBI double in the first inning, giving Alger the only run she would end up needing.

The Captains added another solo run in the second when senior outfielder Sarah Proctor cracked her sixth home run of the season. CNU blew the game open with four runs in the third inning and three more in the fourth to close it out in five. Sophomore Katie Currin slammed a two-run shot in the third frame, her fourth of the year, and senior Maddie Hool brought home a run with a single and senior Caitlin Abernethy's groundout also scored to a run as the Captains took a 6-0 lead after three frames.

In the fourth, sophomore Brooke Childress and senior Natalie Carmichael picked up RBIs and Childress came home on a double steal for the Captains' final run of the game. Childress opened the scoring in the fourth with an RBI single and Carmichael followed with a fielder's choice that also plated a run. Carmichael was thrown out on a steal attempt heading for second base, but Childress darted home to score the ninth run of the game for CNU.

In the nightcap, Martin ran her record on the year to 6-0 as the Captains recorded an 8-0 triumph. The freshman lefthander gave up just three hits and no walks while striking out four. Senior Kaitlyn Hasty, the National Player of the Week this week as well as the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week, broke a scoreless tie in the third inning by crushing a two-run home run, her 11th of the season. Sophomore Brooke Greaver scored later in the inning when she darted home from third base to score on a throw to first and the Captains had a 3-0 edge.

In the fourth inning, Hool scored on an error by the Maroons, and Hasty returned to the plate with two runners on base. She responded again with another long blast, her second in as many innings and 12th of the year to put the Captains ahead, 7-0. Hasty's two dingers give her 46 for her career. She set the new home run mark on Wednesday against Lynchburg when she hit her 44th career blast to move past Jessie Atkinson on the all-time list.

Christopher Newport closed out the game in the fifth when senior pinch-hitter Caroline Helmer delivered a game-ending double to score pinch-runner Kensley Hess with the eighth run.

Roanoke fell to 14-4 with the pair of losses, as the 13th-ranked Maroons stranded all seven runners to reach base.

The Captains have now recorded 11 shutouts in their 19 victories this season. CNU has hit 39 home runs as a team, averaging just over two per game.

Christopher Newport now begins a stretch of eight straight road games, four doubleheaders over the next two weeks. The Captains travel to Randolph College on Sunday afternoon for a 2:00 p.m. start.