SALISBURY, Md. - Christopher Newport University got two stellar pitching performances on Thursday afternoon, and opened the 2023 Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament with a pair of shutout victories over Mary Washington, 4-0, and host school Salisbury, 1-0. 

Just hours after sophomore Jamie Martin opened the day at Margie Knight Stadium by striking out a dozen in a two-hit shutout victory over Mary Washington, fellow sophomore Kate Alger followed by hurling a gem of her own against the top-ranked team in the country. Alger allowed just three singles and struck out four in a complete-game effort as the Captains slipped by the Sea Gulls to end SU's 14-game winning streak.

Alger and Salisbury's Lindsey Windsor locked horns in an epic pitcher's duel, with the only run of the contest coming in the top of the sixth inning. The Captains loaded the bases with no outs, thanks to a fielding error, a double from senior Nicole Apai, and a walk to junior Brooke Greaver. Windsor, however, recovered with one of her six strikeouts on the day and then a foul pop up to put her just one out away from keeping the scoreless battle intact. SU's defense then came up short, as sophomore Kendall Bentley hit a ground ball to the right side that was mishandled, allowing pinch-runner Kensley Hess to score what proved to be the game's only run.

After the unearned run crossed the plate, Alger went back to work in the circle and retired the Gulls in order in the sixth. Salisbury then led off the seventh frame with a base hit, but Alger again showed her resolve by stranding the runner...sending down three batters in a row to complete the three-hit shutout with just 77 pitches thrown. Alger improved to 13-4 with the victory, and retired 11 batters in a row from the first to fifth innings. Windsor fell for the first time this year, and is now 12-1 following the hard-luck loss.

CNU third baseman Brooke Greaver, the C2C's Player of the Year, was three-for-four in the two victories, and also walked, drove in a run, and stole a base. 

Christopher Newport is now 26-8 following the pair of shutouts, and the seventh-ranked Captains will advance to play at 2:00 p.m. Friday vs. either Mary Washington (19-18) or Salisbury (32-5) in the three-team, double-elimination tournament championship. The Eagles and Sea Gulls will play at 11:00 a.m. Friday in an elimination game. A victory by the Captains in Friday's game would capture the title, while a loss would send the tourney to a deciding game on Saturday afternoon.