Box Score SALISBURY, Md. – In the semifinals of the 2025 Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Championship, the third-seeded Christopher Newport baseball team advanced to Thursday's title game with a 13-6 win over the University of Mary WashingtoN (25-13). Sophomore Aaron Maxie led the way, driving in four runs on four hits. CNU will face the host and top-seeded Sea Gulls of Salisbury University at approximately 2:30 p.m. with a chance to defend their 2024 conference crown.

With the win, CNU improved to 21-17 overall and will compete in the conference championship for the fifth time in the last six seasons
 
Christopher Newport jumped out to a 2-0 lead with a couple of runs in the top of the second inning. Triggering the early run production was one of the Captains' most dangerous bats of the season as sophomore Aaron Maxie jumped on the second pitch he saw and sent it the other way for a double into the left field corner. Maxie then sped around the bases on a base hit up the middle by Doc Daniels for the first RBI of the day. The single by Daniels was the 195^th collegiate base hit for the senior including 71 for the Captains over the last two years.
 
After Justin Liakos grounded out, Daniels moved up to second and then back-to-back walks by Lincoln Lubsen and Creston Saunders loaded the bases with just one out. Fifth-year senior Scott Crosson, moving into sole possession for second all-time in career games played with his 173^rd appearance, drove an RBI single into left field to plate Daniels and give the Captains a 2-0 lead.
 
Mary Washington wiggled out of the early jam with just two runs surrendered, but the Captains offense was off to a hot start. The Eagles cut the lead in half with a run in the bottom half of the second, but CNU maintained the lead, 2-1, until the top of the fifth.
 
In the fifth, Sam Benedict led off with a single into center field and moved up on an error by the right fielder that allowed Josh Reinhold to reach base. With two on and nobody out, the Eagles called on C2C Pitcher of the Year, Brendan McComber, to face the league's leading hitter in Maxie. The Captains' first baseman had another productive at-bat as a deep fly ball to center field allowed Benedict to score on a sacrifice fly. Daniels followed with an RBI groundout and the Captains lead grew to three, 4-1.
 
While the bats were highlighting the afternoon, the Captains flashed some leather in the bottom of the fifth as the Eagles looked to respond. The first batter lined a shot up the middle but rookie second baseman Creston Saunders read it well and made a leaping, diving snag for the first out of the inning. The next batter, Connor Hassan, reached on an infield single but Reinhold made an impressive diving stop in the hole to limit him to just an infield single. Moments later, third baseman Sam Benedict triggered an inning-ending double play around the horn as Saunders relayed over to first for the final out.
 
The fifth inning finished out an impressive postseason performance by Jackson Baird on the mound as the senior surrendered just one run on five hits over 5.0 innings of work. Baird struck out a pair and faced the minimum in three of his five innings on Thursday. The Captains called on Ryan Morrison in relief and, despite allowing a lead-off home run in the sixth, settled in nicely to retire the next seven batters he faced.
 
At the dish, the Captains got back to work in the top of the seventh against McComber, scoring four runs on five hits to extend the lead to six, 8-2. Sam Benedict started the inning with a hustle double on a flare to center field, and Maxie continued his outstanding performance with his second double of the day when he pulled one into the right field corner to plate another run. With two outs, Liakos reached on an infield single and Lincoln Lubsen drilled a single up the middle to score a run. The line kept moving, as Saunders walked and Crosson added another RBI base hit with a two-run single up the middle.
 
The insurance runs proved imperative as Mary Washington clawed back with three more runs across in the bottom of the eighth. Morrison got two outs in the inning before the Eagles got a pinch-hit two-run single from Burke Steifman. Mary Washington walked in a run and made it, 8-5, but the Captains escaped with the lead in tact as Caleb Ammons came out of the bullpen to strand three runners with a pivotal punchout. A pair of wicked breaking balls gave the freshman right-hander a 1-2 lead in the count against the only batter he faced. An incredible stop by Lubsen on a pitch in the dirt outside of the box held the runner at third and the count ran even, 2-2, before Ammons painted the black on the outside corner for strike three.
 
Holding a three-run lead headed into the final inning, the Captains made sure to put away the Eagles with a five-run final frame. Liakos walked and moved over to second on a sacrifice bunt by Lubsen. Two batters later, the bases were juiced again after Saunders was hit by a pitch and Crosson walked to load them up. The first two runs came home on an errant throw, bringing Sam Benedict back to the plate with a chance to add more. He singled into center field again, driving in Crosson for the third run of the inning. 

After the Eagles got the second out of the inning, Maxie was at the plate again, and for the fourth time in the game, he delivered a base hit. This time, it plated two more runs as Jake Benedict and Sam Benedict sprinted home for the final runs of the game for CNU. Maxie wrapped up a 4-for-5 showing with a sacrifice fly, two doubles, 4 RBI and 2 runs scored. 

In the bottom of the ninth, Mary Washington scored one run on two hits but could not come close to completing the comeback as Christopher Newport held on for the 13-6 win. Baird improved to 2-2 with the win to lead the way for the CNU arms, while the Captains offense put up eight earned runs against the vaunted Eagles pitching staff. 

CNU will return to action later Thursday for a chance to win the conference title against the Sea Gulls, ranked No. 9 in the D3baseball.com Top 25. Live stats and a live video webcast is available online.