SALISBURY, Md. - Christopher Newport University and Salisbury University played for the third straight day Saturday in the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Softball Tournament. All three games were dominated by outstanding pitching, and the top-ranked Sea Gulls prevailed in the finale by a 1-0 verdict. The three games of the longtime rivals produced just four total runs, and each game at Margie Knight Stadium was won by shutout.

In Saturday's winner-take-all finale, Salisbury called on junior Nicole Ortega to pitch, and the left-hander from New Jersey added to the week's outstanding pitching efforts by allowing no runs or hits over the first five and two-thirds innings, retiring 16 Captains in a row from the first to fifth innings. She walked four CNU batters, including three in a row in the sixth and exited the game with the bases loaded. Senior Savannah Sheats took over in relief, and induced a groundout to end the inning and the Captains' biggest threat of the day.

Christopher Newport's only hit of the game came in the seventh inning, as sophomore shortstop Kendall Bentley delivered a single to left field with one out. Bentley was stranded there as Sheats recovered to retire the next two batters and wrap up the title for the Sea Gulls, who are now 39-3.

The only run of the game off CNU starter Kate Alger was unearned, and came in the third inning. Sophomore Carrie Jacoby tripled to right field, scoring senior Lindsey Windsor, who had reached on an error. Alger threw six innings, and yielded just four hits with two strikeouts and no walks. Her record fell to 13-5 with the loss. Ortega earned the victory to improve to 10-0, and Sheats picked up her first save of the season.

The victory for the Sea Gulls was their fourth in five meetings with the Captains this season. In the three games played this week in the C2C tourney, CNU posted a 1-0 victory on Thursday, Salisbury won on Friday, 2-0, and Saturday's 1-0 verdict for the Gulls gave them the title in the double-elimination tournament.
 
Christopher Newport is now 26-10 and the seventh-ranked Captains, National Champions last year, and the top-ranked Gulls will learn their fate for the NCAA Division III Softball Championship on Monday. The NCAA will release the bracket for the upcoming tournament on Monday at 1:00 p.m.