NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Christopher Newport sophomore outfielder Brayden Mazzoni had a big day at the plate for the 19th-ranked Captains (13-5) with three homers and nine runs batted in over two games in a doubleheader sweep over Wittenberg University. CNU earned a thrilling extra-inning walk-off win against the Tigers in game one, 9-8, and then pulled away for a dominant shutout after seven innings in game two, 16-0. 

Mazzoni was a catalyst for the offense all day long going 5-for-9 with 9 RBI, 5 runs scored, 3 HR and 1 2B. In game one, his three-run blast pulled the Captains back within one run, 8-7, in the bottom of the seventh. Then, in game two, his career-high 6 RBI came on a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate in CNU's first shutout of 2026 with a two-run homer in the third and a grand slam in the fifth inning. 

With the wins, CNU salvaged the series win against Wittenberg and improved to 13-5 overall this season. The Tigers fall to 9-5 after Sunday's doubleheader at Captains Park, which was played in front of 414 fans on Medina14 Foundation Day at the ballpark. 

A pair of veteran arms took the mound in game one as CNU sent out senior Ryan Morrison to face Wittenberg senior Andrew Rust. Both pitchers were effective through the first four innings with Christopher Newport holding a 2-1 lead heading into the fifth. In the top of the fifth inning, a grand slam by the Tigers opened up the visitors lead to 6-2 and Wittenberg added two more to the advantage in the top of the seventh. 

The Captains defense showed up in the top of the sixth for sophomore reliever Jackson Chappell. The first batter laced a rocket toward first base but Aaron Maxie was there to make the mid-air snag for the out. The second thought he had a base hit over the shortstop with another line drive but freshman Jake Mutter made a sensational leaping snag for the second out. Finally, rounding out a highlight-reel inning, the third batter flared a ball out to left field but Mazzoni read it well and made a diving play to end the inning. 

In the bottom of the seventh, Logan Adams kickstarted a big inning with a single through the left side and moved up to second on a wild pitch. Aaron Maxie moved him over with a groundball to the right side and Lukas Miller took advantage with an RBI single through the left side. After the Tigers went to a relief arm, Jacob Koenig reached on another single through the hole to get another runner on ahead of Mazzoni. The sophomore stepped in with two outs and worked himself into a hitter's count, 3-1, before uncorking a towering opposite field blast over the wall in right field. 

Back within one run, the Captains offense kept the momentum going in the eighth inning when Adams walked and raced all the way around the bases on a double by Miller two batters later. The two-base hit trickled all the way to the wall, splitting the outfielders and allowing Adams to make the 270-foot trek from first to home on the double. 

In the ninth inning, the Captains called on junior reliever Mitchell Mortensen out of the pen and the veteran lefty worked around a leadoff double with a pair of groundball outs. Sophomore Charlie Gunn (2-0) came on to close out the inning and stranded the runner at third base with a momentous strikeout swinging. 

After Gunn worked a clean 10th inning with an inning-ending double play, the Captains' game-winning inning started with Jake Benedict earning a leadoff walk. Adams was hit by a pitch to put the winning run in scoring position and the sacrifice bunt was on. Andrew Hearn laid it down perfectly and, with no one covering first base, legged out an infield single to load the bases with nobody out. Walking off with a game-winning squeeze, Creston Saunders put down another picture-perfect bunt with Benedict breaking for the plate and the game-winning score. 

Game two featured a much different game offensively for the Captains as ChTHe liristopher Newport raced out to a 6-0 lead after one inning. CNU tacked on three more in the third, fourth, and four in the fifth for the final verdict of 16-0. 

In the bottom of the first, Benedict walked and Adams kept his bat hot with a double into left field while Benedict raced in on an error by the left fielder. Wasting little time, Cameron Slough hit a no-doubter of a two-run home run over the wall in left center field to make it 3-0. The lineup kept moving with Miller singling into center field and Mutter picking up a walk. With two on and one out, Mazzoni caught the defense napping with a beautiful bunt to the right side and loaded the bases with the base hit. An RBI groundball by Andrew Hearn made it 5-0 as two runs came around to score on an error by the second baseman. Ashton Hylton then lofted a fly ball to center field for a sacrifice fly to cap the early offensive burst. 

In the third inning, Mazzoni picked up his second homer of the day with a runner on when Koenig led off with a walk. His two run blast left the yard in a hurry and put the Captains up, 8-0, in the bottom of the third inning. Mutter added to his stellar day at the plate with a double to right center and Hearn followed with a walk. Hylton loaded the bases with another well-executed bunt, and CNU scored another run with a sacrifice fly by Logan Adams. 

The offense kept clicking in the fourth with Koenig working a four-pitch walk and Mazzoni blistering a double into right field. Mutter added his second double of the game with a two-run shot to the wall in right center and Hylton added an RBI double of his own to cap the three-run inning. 

The Captains led by 12 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning when Adams walked, Slough was hit by a pitch, and Miller singled into left field to load the bases. With no where to put the red hot bat of Brayden Mazzoni, the Tigers pitched to the second-year star and the left fielder smashed an 0-1 pitch over the wall in left center field for a grand slam. His career-best performance saw him finish 4-for-4 with 4 runs scored and 6 RBI with three extra-base hits. 

On the mound in game two, senior Cooper Newell (4-0) earned his fourth win of the season with 5.0 shutout innings of work. He scattered four hits and four walks while striking out four while keeping the Tigers off the board. Senior Chase Hustead finished out the game with a strong relief appearance over the last two innings of the game. Hustead faced just seven batters, striking out five, in two clean innings of work. 

The Captains out-hit Wittenberg, 13-4, in game two. 

CNU is scheduled to play Regent University on Monday, March 16 at 3:00 p.m. -- poor weather is forecasted for the area and fans should stay tuned to CNUsports.com for updates to the schedule. The Captains are also scheduled to face Randolph-Macon College on Saturday, March 21 at 2:00 p.m.