SALISBURY, Md. -- With 11 runs scored over the first three innings, the fourth-ranked Salisbury University Sea Gulls (22-6) jumped out to a big lead against the 15th-ranked Christopher Newport baseball team and coasted to an 18-3 win at home over the Captains. CNU had an eight-game win streak snapped as the Captains fall to 19-7 overall this season.
The result creates a three-way tie atop the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference standings with CNU, Salisbury, and Mary Washington each posting 1-1 records the first time through the double round-robin regular season schedule.
The Captains were led by junior transfer
Doc Daniels with a 2-for-2 performance at the plate, a hit-by-pitch and a walk to reach base in all four of his plate appearances. Daniels scored once in the game alongside
Ayden Stuffel and
Jacob Koenig. Driving in the runs were freshman
Aaron Maxie with one RBI and senior
Scott Crosson with a pair.
CNU dispatched six pitchers against the top-five opponent on Saturday with
Colin D'Arcy having the best performance on the mound out of the pen. The veteran reliever went 2.0 innings, pitching the fourth and fifth, without surrendering a run and allowing just one hit to the potent Salisbury attack.
Christian Williams struck out one in two-thirds of an inning with one unearned run allowed on one hit before
Jack Anderson and
Jack Rosenberg finished out the game pitching the final 2.1 innings with four strikeouts combined.
Christopher Newport scored one run in the second and two more in the fourth but were unable to cut into the big lead established early by the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference foe.
In the top of the second, Daniels led off with a walk before Stuffel singled through the right side to get the first two aboard. Koenig then delivered a sacrifice bunt to move the runners up and Maxie grounded out to the right side to get Christopher Newport on the board.
In the fourth, Daniels again led off with a free pass, this time a hit-by-pitch, and Stuffel walked. Koenig reached on a fielders choice and Maxie fouled out for the second out. With two outs, sophomore
Sam Benedict walked to load the bases and bring up
Scott Crosson. The senior right fielder laced a single into center field to chase in two CNU runners and cut the lead to 11-3 in the fourth.
The next man up was
Josh Reinhold, who re-loaded the bases with a walk. It was the only time he reached base on the day, but the sophomore shortstop managed to extend his on-base streak to 68 straight games in the loss.
Christopher Newport will close out the four-game week on Sunday with a road trip to William Peace University. First pitch against the Pacers is scheduled for 2:00 pm.
