NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Captains continue to get production from the top of the lineup, but the United States Coast Guard Academy jumped out to an early lead and held on for a 12-4 win over the 18th-ranked CNU baseball team on Wednesday afternoon. Playing on a season-high crowd on a beautiful Spring afternoon at Captains Park,
Aaron Maxie led the way by going 3-for-4 with 2 RBI while leadoff man
Jake Benedict notched his third straight multi-hit performance.
Benedict raised his team-high average to .429 for the year with two more base knocks and the junior outfielder also scored twice more to reach 25 runs scored through 17 games played. He has now crossed the plate for two or more runs in eight games this season.
After Coast Guard jumped to a 5-0 lead with two runs in the second and three more in the third, the Captains clawed back to within two with three runs in the bottom of the third. Benedict reached on an infield single to bring up
Justin Liakos, who also has been seeing the ball well at the plate of late. The senior stepped in and wasted no time pounding a double over the left fielder's head on the first pitch he saw.
Doc Daniels then delivered an RBI groundout, plating Benedict, and brought up Maxie with a runner still in scoring position. Picking up the first of his two RBI base hits, Maxie blistered an RBI single through the right side and chased in Liakos from second base. The inning would continue with
Lincoln Lubsen at the plate as the senior catch hit another hard-hit ball to left field. After a long run, the outfielder got his glove on the ball, but a collision at the wall dislodged the ball and scored Maxie from first for the third run of the inning.
Coast Guard responded with a run in the top of the fourth and added two more in the top of the fifth to re-take a five-run lead, 8-3.
Marcus Dux checked in to pitch for Christopher Newport, relieving starter
Ryan Morrison (1-2). Dux put together an outstanding relief appearance for the final four innings, battling to keep the Captains close until the Bears finally got to him in the top of the ninth. Aided by three errors in the inning, Coast Guard scored four runs on three hits in the top of the ninth to increase the margin to eight, 12-4.
CNU scored their fourth run in the bottom of the eighth when Benedict led off with a double into center field. The next two batters went down, but Daniels fly out to right moved up Benedict to third base. It proved an important out as the run scored on an infield single to shortstop by Maxie, who beat out the throw and allowed Benedict to score.
Defense proved to be the difference as Coast Guard committed zero errors and turned three double plays including a game-ending 6-4-3 twin killing in the bottom of the ninth.
Dux completed the longest relief appearance of his career and second longest appearance of his career since a 4.1-inning start against Eastern Mennonite on February 18, 2024. He recorded four strikeouts in his first three innings and worked around four baserunners. He finished with 4.0 innings pitched, 5 hits, 4 runs allowed, 3 earned, with 4 K. Errors also hampered Morrison's start, as the junior surrendered eight runs, four earned, over the first five innings pitched. Morrison struck out four.
With the loss, Christopher Newport falls to 9-8 on the season while Coast Guard improved to 4-3.
Christopher Newport will look to get back in the win column on Thursday as they travel to Roanoke College (8-6-1). First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. at the Salem-Memorial Ballpark.
