NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - The season came to a close Saturday afternoon for the Christopher Newport University softball squad, as Keith Parr's team lost to Randolph-Macon College, 6-2, in the NCAA Regional finals at Captains Park. The Yellow Jackets, now 37-11, will advance to the 16-team Super Regionals of the tournament next weekend.

Senior pitcher Gracie Ellis led the Yellow Jackets by winning her third game in as many days, and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Regional. Ellis allowed just single runs in the first and seventh innings and is now 23-5 on the season. She threw 21 innings in the three wins, striking out 21 batters and walking just one as R-MC beat Alfred on Thursday, and then knocked off the Captains Friday and Saturday.

Christopher Newport jumped to an early lead on a hot and muggy morning by plating a run in the top of the first, as the Captains were the visiting team in the title game. Sophomore Candace Slaw opened with a triple, and came home on a wild pitch to give the Captains an early 1-0 edge. Slaw's triple and run scored set two new school records. Slaw, who also singled in the seventh, finished the year with a new high of 77 hits in a season, and her run scored in the first set a new mark for runs in a single season with 64. Slaw also set a new single season high mark for batting average, going 77 for 149 at the plate this year for a .517 batting average.

Randolph-Macon, however, would not trail for long, scoring twice in the bottom of the first off CNU starter Jamie Martin. The Yellow Jackets would go on to add a single run in the second frame on a home run from Blayne Talley and then Tori Powell cleared the bases with a three-run homer in the third to make it 6-1.

Freshman Hailey Butler entered the game in relief for the Captains in the fourth, and held R-MC scoreless by retiring all eight batters she faced. CNU then mounted a rally in the 7th, as sophomore Natalie Quinlan opened the inning with a home run, her second of the regional, to cut the lead to 6-2. The Captains went on to put two runners on base with two outs as senior Olivia Tullous reached on an error, and Slaw singled, but Ellis induced a pop fly to end the game and wrap up the regional crown for the Jackets, who will advance to play the winner of the Moravian regional next weekend.

Randolph-Macon out-hit the Captains, 7-6, and CNU ended up stranding six runners on base. The Captains concluded the season with a home record of 25-4 following losses to the Yellow Jackets on back-to-back days. The teams split a doubleheader during the regular season in Ashland.

The All-Regional team included Madison Sturtz (Farmingdale State), Molly Whitmyer (Alfred), Sammy Drew (CNU), Brooke Greaver (CNU), Simone Thompson (CNU), Amanda Lanyon (R-MC), Tori Powell (R-MC), Naomi Sadler (R-MC), Blayne Talley (R-MC), and the Most Outstanding Player Gracie Ellis (R-MC).

The game proved to be the final action for a large group of 11 Christopher Newport seniors. Head Coach Keith Parr announced in a team meeting following the game that the uniform numbers of three seniors will be retired by the program following outstanding careers as Captains. Brooke Greaver (#32), Jamie Martin (#28), and Kate Alger (#6) will be honored by having their numbers retired, the first since Kaitlyn Hasty's #27 was retired following the team's National Championship in 2022.