NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- One day after Jake Benedict reached base in all six plate appearances for the Captains, junior Josh Reinhold would not be outdone as he, too, reached base in all six plate appearances on Wednesday afternoon as he helped lift Christopher Newport to a 14-4 win over North Carolina Wesleyan (5-16). Reinhold walked it off with an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to give the Captains (15-10) a win by the ten-run rule after seven innings of play. 

The CNU offense was firing on all cylinders against the Bishops but Reinhold topped the charts with a 4-for-4 effort including a double, two RBI, a pair of walks and the game-winning hit. Cameron Slough (3-5), Lincoln Lubsen (3-3), and Benedict (2-5) each finished the game with multi-hit performances while Aaron Maxie drove in a game-high three runs out of the cleanup spot. All nine starters rapped at least one base hit and, the Captains also piled up ten walks, led by three from Sam Benedict, with six of the nine batters reaching on a free pass in the game. 

While the offense scored in bunches, the Captains pitching was lights out after a rocky start. Ryan Morrison allowed four runs to the first eight batters he faced, but quickly rallied to put together one of the finest starts of the season for CNU pitching. After a leadoff home run by Marlon Bowen in the second, Morrison retired 11 of the next 12 batters and faced the minimum after the one runner who reached was caught stealing. 

After a lead-off single ended the fantastic run to lead off the sixth, he promptly struck out the next batter and induced an inning-ending double player as Justin Liakos spun and fired to Reinhold who relayed over to first for the twin killing. Thanks to the defensive effort, Morrison managed to face only 15 batters over the five inning stretch and stacked up six strikeouts along the way. He closed out the day with his team-leading fourth win after six strong innings of work. 

Colin D'Arcy came on in the top of the seventh and worked quickly through a 1-2-3 inning. The first batter bounced one to short and Reinhold fired across the diamond for the out. Then, D'Arcy recorded a three-pitch strikeout for the second out and worked another groundball to short to finish out the inning. 

In the bottom of the seventh, CNU needed three runs to trigger the run-rule victory. Ayden Stuffel led off with a single to right field and he moved all the way up to third before the next batter saw a pitch. On a pickoff attempt, and errant throw allowed Stuffel to sprint all the way to third before Cameron Slough even received an offering. When he did, he delivered, smashing a single into left field to score the first of the three runs. Lubsen followed with a walk and Scott Crosson was asked to lay down a sacrifice bunt. He did one better, placing a beautiful bunt toward third base that forced a bare-handed play by the pitcher that he was unable to complete as Crosson sped to first, loading the bases. 

Gavin Spencer was on to pinch run for Slough and he sprinted home on a sacrifice fly by Sam Benedict two batters later, putting the winning run at third with two outs and Reinhold at the dish. After fouling off a pair of tough pitches, the junior shortstop went the other way and powered a would-be double to the gap for the game-winning RBI as Lubsen trotted in to make it 14-4. 

Long before the game concluded, the Captains got things started in the first with one run and scored four more in the second inning. The first run came in on a wild pitch as Sam Benedict scored after reaching on one of his three walks. He advanced to third on a double off the wall by Reinhold and on the wild pitch, slid under the tag for the first run of the game by the Captains. In the second inning, Slough and Lubsen led off with back-to-back singles; Jake Benedict drove in a run with an RBI single up the middle and Sam Benedict followed with an RBI single through the right side. Reinhold walked to load the bases and Maxie picked up an RBI the hard way, getting plunked on the first pitch of his AB. Another run scored on a passed ball as CNU took a 5-4 lead. 

Another run came around in the third and and one more in the fourth. Reinhold delivered the RBI single in the third after Slough and Lubsen singled and Crosson was drilled by a pitch to load the bases. With two outs, Reinhold ripped a single into left field and Crosson came in to score. In the fourth, it was a Lincoln Lubsen double to the right center gap that plated Ayden Stuffel for the run. Stuffel had reached with a one-out walk and stole second to set up the run-scoring chance. 

Christopher Newport put up another crooked number in the bottom of the fifth while leaning on patience at the plate. Three straight walks opened the inning as Jake Benedict, Sam Benedict, and Reinhold all reached in front of Maxie. The sophomore first baseman snuck a blazing grounder through the right side and two runs came in to score. With nobody out and runners at first and second, Liakos loaded them up again with a picture-perfect bunt past the charging infielders toward second base. Stuffel drove in a run with a groundball to third and another run came in on a double play ball, rounding out the scoring for CNU. 

CNU faced nine different N.C. Wesleyan pitchers in the game and scored at least one run against seven of them. Free passes were the difference in the game as two of the three came around to score for the Bishops but seven of the 12 scored for Christopher Newport. 

The Captains have won three in a row and will next travel to Mary Washington for the first Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference game of the season in Fredericksburg, Va. on Saturday, March 29. Game time is set for 2:00 p.m. against the Eagles.