NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Junior
Jamie Martin continued her spectacular season Friday afternoon, as the Lorton, Va., left-hander threw a no-hitter on the first day of the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Softball Tournament. Martin held Salisbury University to just one walk over seven innings as the top-seeded Captains posted a 1-0 victory over the second-seeded Sea Gulls at Captains Park.
CNU, now 29-5 and ranked third in the nation, extended its winning streak to 16 straight games and will play Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at Captains Park against the winner of the Salisbury/Mary Washington elimination game, which will take place at 11:00 a.m. Saturday. The three-team, double elimination tournament opened on Friday with an 11-3 Salisbury victory over Mary Washington.
Martin, the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year this year, allowed just one Salisbury batter to reach base, as Sea Gulls catcher Emily Stockman drew a walk in the third inning. Following the base on balls, Martin mowed down the last 14 batters she faced as she improved her record to 11-1 on the year. Martin struck out five and threw just 74 pitches, including 55 for strikes. In addition to her five strikeouts, Martin induced 15 pop outs or fly outs, and just one ground out as she lowered her season earned run average to 0.77. She previously threw a five-inning perfect game against Meredith College on April 28th, and also tossed a no-hitter vs. Mary Washington as a freshman in 2022 when she was voted the National Freshman of the Year.
The game featured two excellent pitching performances, as fellow left-hander Nicole Ortega was also exceptional in the circle for Salisbury. Ortega allowed just one run on five hits over six innings and suffered the loss to fall to 16-2, with both of her defeats coming at the hands of the Captains.
The pitcher's duel was scoreless when it was interrupted by a rain delay in the middle of the sixth inning. Following a one hour, 25 minute halt in play, Ortega returned to the circle for Salisbury and the Captains were able to break through in the bottom of the sixth for the only run of the game. Senior third baseman
Brooke Greaver opened the inning with a single, and was pinch run for by junior
Brenna Morefield. After Morefield advanced to second on a ground out, senior outfielder
Jules Donnelly stepped to the plate and delivered what proved to be the game-winning hit. Donnelly, who homered vs. Salisbury in the sixth inning last Saturday to give the Captains a 3-2 victory in the second game of a doubleheader sweep, smacked a double down the left field line to bring home Morefield with the only run of the game.
Martin then returned to the circle after a lengthy wait, but showed no signs of rust as she retired the Gulls 1-2-3 in the seventh frame to complete her masterpiece. Salisbury, ranked fourth in the country, fell to 35-4 with the defeat, with three of their losses this season delivered by the Captains.
Christopher Newport now holds the upper hand in the double elimination tourney, and a triumph on Saturday in the 2:00 p.m. game would give the Captains the crown. Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m., Salisbury and Mary Washington will battle to try to advance to play the Captains. Two victories Saturday by either the Sea Gulls or Eagles would push the tournament to a deciding Championship game against CNU on Sunday morning at 11:00 a.m.
