TYSONS, Va. -- On route to a dominant 13-3 win after seven innings on Monday night, the Christopher Newport baseball team stayed hot at the plate as the Captains (17-14) powered past Marymount University (18-12) with four more home runs. The Captains have now scored 39 runs over the last four games including 12 home runs while being led by by three from sophomore Aaron Maxie, who blasted a grand slam against the Saints on Monday. 

Christopher Newport used every slot in the lineup to roll by the Saints as eight of the nine starters registered at least one hit, eight of nine registered at least one RBI, and seven starters crossed the plate for at least one run in the game. Meanwhile, on the mound, it took just one arm to earn the win as junior lefty Ryan Morrison improved to 5-1 on the season with a complete-game effort. 

Offensively, the Captains got things started right out of the gate with two runs in the first inning and expanded the lead to 5-0 after two. Jake Benedict reached for the first of four times in five plate appearances with a lead-off walk in the first. Sam Benedict followed with a fielder's choice and Josh Reinhold walked to load the bases. Threatening with the first three on and nobody out, Maxie delivered a deep fly ball to center field for a sacrifice fly and the first of his five RBI on the day. Ayden Stuffel then laid down a bunt and scored a run on the squeeze from third to give CNU a 2-0 lead. 

In the top of the second, Justin Liakos watched the first pitch down and in and then turned on the second pitch he faced, obliterating it over the left field wall for a no-doubt lead off home run. His solo shot gave the Captains a 3-0 advantage and was the second homer in four games for the senior utility man. Lincoln Lubsen then doubled and scored on a two-base hit by Jake Benedict before Sam Benedict brought him around one pitch later on an RBI single. 

The runs kept coming in the third when Doc Daniels delivered an RBI on a groundball after Maxie led off the inning with a double. He moved up to third on a well-placed groundball by Stuffel and CNU manufactured the run to take a 6-0 lead on the road. Marymount responded with two in the third, but the Captains put the game out of reach in the top of the fourth. 

Lubsen led off the inning with a solo shot after working into a hitters count. He ambushed the 2-1 pitch and blasted a high drive to left to give the Captains a 7-2 lead. After Scott Crosson singled into right field, the Saints went to the bullpen, but the relief arm suffered with control issues and walked three straight batters as both Benedicts and Reinhold earned free passes. With an 8-2 lead after Reinhold's RBI base on balls, the Saints went to another pitcher but Maxie stood at the ready. The sophomore first baseman took the first pitch low and outside for a ball and when the Saints reliever came back over the plate with his next offering, Maxie did not miss. He launched a rocket to dead center field for a grand slam, extending the Captains lead to a game-high ten runs, 12-2. 

Marymount trimmed the lead to nine for a moment with a run in the bottom of the fifth, but Reinhold joined the home run parade in the top of the sixth to re-take the ten-run advantage. The junior shortstop pounded a 1-2 pitch over the wall for his second homer of the season and the 23rd of the year for the CNU bats. 

With the ten-run lead, Morrison needed to just retire the side in the seventh to clinch the complete game victory. A lead-off singled threatened to extend the game, but moments later he was erased, caught stealing. Then, Morrison induced a pair of groundball outs to close out the game and the win. The veteran lefty used the defense behind him and started his game with eight straight groundballs. Over the course of his seven-inning outing he had ten groundball outs and nine flyouts. 

Offensively, Maxie led the day by going 2-for-3 with 5 RBI and two runs scored. Reinhold reached three times in four plate appearances and went 1-for-2 with 2 RBI, 2 runs, and 2 walks. Jake Benedict continued his tremendous season out of the leadoff spot, scoring three more times while going 2-for-3 with an RBI and two walks. Lubsen also had a multi-hit performance by going 2-for-3 with 2 runs and an RBI. 

CNU will return to action on Wednesday, April 16 as the Captains travel to face No. 2 Lynchburg at 3:00 p.m.