NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport University again used a balanced attack of strong hitting and dominant pitching Saturday afternoon, as the ninth-ranked Captains swept a doubleheader at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg. The Captains won the opener, 8-1, and then completed the sweep with a 5-1 triumph in the nightcap. CNU is now 22-5, and the Captains have won their last seven games. The Eagles of UMW fell to 13-17 following the defeats.

Keith Parr's squad opened the day with another stellar performance in the pitching circle by junior lefty Jamie Martin, who shut out the Eagles for six innings and improved to 7-1 with the victory. Martin allowed no runs on two hits, and struck out eight while walking one. She extended her scoreless innings streak to 24 before freshman Haylee Callahan entered to pitch the final frame.

The Captains scored three times in the second inning to give Martin all the run support she would need. CNU went on to add a run in the fifth and two in the sixth and seventh frames to coast to the 8-1 triumph. Senior second baseman Caroline Pollock opened the scoring with an RBI single in the second frame, and sophomore first baseman Isabel Hall crushed the only home run of the day, a two-run blast, to make it 3-0. It was Hall's first long ball of the season.

Fifth-year senior Delaney Nuckols delivered a two-run single in the sixth, and junior first baseman Meredith Brickner and freshman catcher Maleah Maharty produced runs with hits in the seventh as the Captains took the opener on a sunny and warm day in Fredericksburg.

In the nightcap, junior starter Kate Alger took the ball and improved her record to 10-4 thanks to a complete-game effort. Alger gave up a first inning run on a wild pitch, but was untouched the rest of the way, striking out four and yielding just four hits and no walks. Alger retired the last seven Eagles, and 15 of the last 16 Mary Washington batters.

The Captains took the lead with two runs in the second inning, and added a single run in the third and two in the sixth to provide the 5-1 final verdict. Pollock, who drove in three runs in the doubleheader with three hits in eight at bats, again got the scoring started with an RBI single in the second inning of game two, and later added a run-scoring single in the sixth. Senior outfielder Katie Currin doubled home a run in the third inning as the Captains recorded nine hits in each game of the double dip.

Christopher Newport concludes a string of eight straight road games on Wednesday when the Captains travel to York College of Pennsylvania. The doubleheader against the Spartans is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. in York, Pa.