NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Erasing a three-run deficit at home on Tuesday afternoon, the Christopher Newport baseball team earned a 6-5 win and improved to 11-9 on the season. The Captains scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth to complete the comeback and held off a late rally attempt by the Lakers (7-4) with bullpen arms Eli Novario and Colin D'Arcy leading the way. 

CNU leaned on a quality start from junior left-hander Ryan Morrison (3-1) as he captured his team-leading third win of the season. Morrison had a three-run second, but allowed just one run on four hits over his other five innings of work to keep the game close. He faced just three batters in the first, third, and fourth innings while stranding three baserunners over his final two innings of work. 

Morrison finished his start with 6.0 innings pitched and four runs, three earned, on two hits and two walks. He struck out five batters before handing the ball off to Novario in the top of the 7th. 

By then, the Captains had staked their starter to a 6-4 lead thanks to timely hitting leading to single runs in the third and fourth and a decisive four-run sixth inning. 

CNU got on the board in the third inning when Sam Benedict walked and moved up to second on a wild pitch. Aaron Maxie stepped in and delivered an RBI single into left center field. The Captains added another run in the fourth when Ayden Stuffel reached on an error and moved up on a single by Doc Daniels into left field. With two on and nobody out, the Lakers went to the bullpen, but Cameron Slough laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners up. Designated hitter Eric Wilson then added a sacrifice fly to left field as CNU cut into the lead and made it 3-2. 

After Oswego added a run in the top of the sixth, the Captains responded by scoring four of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Justin Liakos led things off with a double to left field and Stuffel reached on an error after executing another exceptional sacrifice bunt. Liakos came in to score on the errant throw, pulling CNU back within one, 4-3. Daniels added another single, this time through the left side, and Slough walked to load the bases. With Wilson at the plate again, he nearly broke the game open were it not for a sensational diving stab by the third baseman to keep the ball near the infield. As it was, the Captains plated the game-tying run on the single. 

Next up was Jake Benedict, who drove in the go-ahead run with a fielder's choice into right field and Sam Benedict followed with what proved to be an imperative insurance run as he grounded to the right side and plated Slough. By the end of the inning, CNU took a 6-4 lead on four runs and three hits in the inning. 

Oswego State mustered five hits in the final three innings but could only get one run across against Novario in the eighth inning. The Captains called on D'Arcy for a five-out save and the senior closed out the game. After allowing a hit to the first batter he faced, he struck out back-to-back batters to end the eighth with the game-tying and go-ahead runners on base. Then, in the ninth, he worked around a pair of one-out singles to finish out the win with a groundball to third and a flyball to left field. 

Daniels led the offensive performance by going 3-for-4 with a run scored while Wilson was 1-for-3 with a pair of RBI. 

Christopher Newport will return to action with three games at Montclair State University this weekend. CNU will take on Swarthmore College at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 21 before facing the host Red Hawks at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 22. The Captains will close out the trip against Lesley University on March 23 at 2:00 p.m.