NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -  Christopher Newport University senior pitcher Kate Alger set a new school record for career strikeouts Saturday, as the Captains defeated Pfeiffer University, 6-4, in the first of two games in the Cross Bay Bash at Captains Park.Keith Parr's squad later downed Moravian University, 8-5, in the second game of the day.

Alger, from Staunton, Va., passed Michelle Kass-Prewitt by recording her 489th career strikeout vs. the Falcons in the fourth inning. Alger struck out Pfeiffer's Emma Bullin to open the fourth, pulling even with Kass-Prewitt with 488 career K's. Alger then whiffed the next batter, Camryn Kaminski, to set the new record. She went on to fan three more to finish with six for the day, and upped her record to 7-0 on the season as the Captains held on for a 6-4 triumph. Alger has now posted 492 strikeouts in 421.1 career innings pitched.

The Captains jumped to a 2-0 lead when fifth-year senior third baseman Brooke Greaver cracked a first inning two-run home run. The blast was the second in as many days for Greaver, and the 31st of her career, fifth-most in school history. CNU added three more in the second frame and a single run in the fourth to take a 6-0 advantage. Senior Brenna Morefield drove home runs in the second with a fielder's choice and fourth with an RBI single, while sophomore Brooke Zuber doubled in the third to bring home sophomore Candace Slaw, who had reached base with a bunt single. Pfeiffer rallied by plating four runs over the final three innings, but the Falcons comeback stalled as Alger slammed the door and finished the record-setting performance. The Falcons, ranked 16th in the country, fell to 12-7 with the defeat.

In the second game of the day, the Captains and 22nd-ranked Moravian University (Pa.) staged a back-and-forth battle that took some late heroics for CNU to pull out. The Greyhounds registered a 4-0 lead over the seventh-ranked Captains after scoring a single run in the third frame and then adding three more in the fourth off CNU freshman starter Hailey Butler, who was making her first start as a Captain. Christopher Newport battled from behind, finally getting on the board in the home half of the fourth when senior Sammy Drew delivered a two-run double to cut the lead in half. Later in the inning, the Captains pulled even when senior Olivia Tullous singled home two more runs to knot the score at 4-4.

After the Greyhounds re-claimed the lead with a single run in the fifth, CNU answered quickly in the bottom of the frame when Greaver drove in her third run of the day with a sacrifice fly to make it 5-5. Moravian failed to score in the sixth, and the Captains then followed with their second three-run inning of the day to provide the winning margin. After Drew singled and senior Kendall Bentley walked, senior second baseman Olivia Tullous came to the plate with two outs and smacked her second home run of the season to give the Captains an 8-5 lead.

Senior Jamie Martin entered the game and recorded her second save of the season by throwing a scoreless seventh inning, securing the three-run win. Butler, who pitched the first six innings, registered her first career victory by stranding nine Moravian runners. The Greyhounds fell to 7-3 with the loss.

Sophomore Candace Slaw was three-for-six in the pair of victories, and now has 35 hits this season and 104 for her career in just 57 games played. The pair of victories Saturday on a sunny and cool day give the Captains a 15-1 record for the year.

The Cross Bay Bash concludes on Sunday, and the Captains will host George Fox University for two games at Captains Park. The doubleheader's start time has changed, and will now begin at 11:00 a.m.