NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - The Captains of Christopher Newport University made it four straight wins in the Cross Bay Bash on Sunday, as
Keith Parr's team took a pair of games over the University of Rochester and Susquehanna University. The Captains, ranked 17th in the nation last week, won their first game over Rochester on Sunday, 14-5 in six innings, and then shut out Susquehanna, 10-0 in five innings, in the nightcap.
The Captains improved to 10-4 on the season with the pair of home wins, and CNU has now won seven straight games after a 3-4 start.
Christopher Newport opened the day by scoring four runs in the opening inning vs. Rochester, and six more in the second en route to the 14-5 triumph. CNU walked it off in the bottom of the sixth frame when
Mackenzie Sowonik smacked a two-run home run to reach the eight-run mercy rule.
Simone Thompson homered earlier in the game, crushing a three-run shot in the opening inning. Thompson also doubled in the game, and scored three times and drove in three runs. Lead off hitter
Candace Slaw also came across the plate three times and posted two hits, including a double, as the Captains scored 14 runs on 14 hits.
The second game of the day also opened with a great start by CNU, as the Captains plated two runs in the opening inning on a two-run home run by
Natalie Quinlan, and followed with a two-run shot from
Kimberly Jones in the second inning to jump to a 4-0 lead.
Isabel Hall knocked in two runners with a third inning single, and
Simone Thompson and
Olivia Miller also delivered third inning run-scoring hits to push the lead to 8-0. Quinlan then finished the scoring with an RBI double in the fourth as the Captains closed out the River Hawks in five.
In the pitching circle,
Haylee Callahan started the opener, and
Cora Grace Sparger got the ball in the nightcap, and both threw complete games to pick up wins for the second straight day. Sparger, now 5-2, threw five shutout innings vs. Susquehanna, allowing just three singles while striking out three. Callahan upped her mark to 4-1 after posting the victory in the opening game over the Yellow Jackets of Rochester.
CNU returns to action on Wednesday in Lynchburg, Va., when the Captains take on Randolph College in a doubleheader. The first pitch of the twin bill is set for 2:00 p.m. The Captains return home on Friday to host Greensboro College in a 1:00 p.m. start at Captains Park.
