NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Making history for the nationally-ranked Christopher Newport baseball team, senior left-hander Ryan Morrison tossed a seven-inning no-hitter against St. Mary's College of Maryland (7-11) on a sparkling Sunday afternoon at Captains Park. Morrison recorded just the second no-hitter in program history and earned the win in a 13-0 game against the Seahawks as the Captains improved to 18-6. 

Pitching in front of the largest crowd of the season, Morrison put together one of the most impressive performances in program history from the outset. He faced just three batters over the minimum with three walks and eight strikeouts. Morrison retired the side in order four of his seven innings pitched and did not allow any of the three baserunners allowed to advance beyond first base. 

Morrison joins an exclusive club of just two in CNU baseball lore as he matches the effort put forth by Eben Brower against York College of Pennsylvania on May 2, 2004. That was the first, and only, no-hitter in program history prior to Sunday afternoon; there have been eight one-hit pitching performances. The no-hitter comes just under 22 years after Brower's record-setting performance and Morrison's stands as the first shutout no-no. Both came in seven inning games as Sunday's masterpiece was shortened due to the mercy rule after seven. 

The senior from Chantilly, Va. had the Seahawks off balance all day and kept the ball on the ground. Only three times in the game did a St. Mary's player manage to get the ball in the air as Morrison finished the game with eight strikeouts and ten groundball outs. Most of the contact was weak toward the right side, with second baseman Sam Benedict collecting five assists in the game, but two defensive plays stood out as the team backed up Morrison with a pair of web gems. 

First, with a runner on first and two outs in the top of the fifth, a hard hit groundball up the middle snuck under Morrison's glove. Rookie shortstop Jake Mutter charged in and picked the grounder on a short hop to eliminate the threat with a quick shovel pass to Benedict at the bag. Then, closing out the no-hitter in highlight-reel fashion, Morrison surrendered the hardest hit ball of the outing on the last pitch of the day when designated hitter Will Wilson barreled an offering to deep center field. All-Region outfielder Jake Benedict had a long way to run, sprinting toward the wall on a sure-bet extra-base hit, but the veteran tracked it down with a last-second leap to gather in the fly ball for the historic out. His catch sent the Captains bench into a frenzy as Morrison improved to 2-0 with the complete game victory. 

At the plate, the Captains gave him plenty of support against the Seahawks with runs scored in four of the six innings at the dish. That included a seven-run fifth inning that featured a pair of memorable home runs.

In the bottom of the first, CNU got out to a hot start with three runs on three hits when J. Benedict and S. Benedict singled ahead of a hit by pitch from Cameron Slough. With the bases loaded and one out, Gus Croll delivered a two-RBI single through the left side to plate the Benedicts. Then, after a walk by Jacob Koenig to load the bases again, a sacrifice fly by Mutter brought in Slough for a 3-0 lead. 

Three runs would be plenty for Morrison on Sunday, but the Captains kept adding to the lead. In the bottom of the third, Croll walked and Koenig unleashed a mammoth blast over the wall in left field for his second career home run. The junior from Mechanicsville, Va. ran into the first pitch he saw and left no doubt, clearing the wall in left to give the Captains a 5-0 lead. 

Another run came in in the fourth inning when J. Benedict walked, stole second, and moved up to third on a groundball to the right side. Slough drove him in for his team-leading 26th RBI with a groundball to third. 

After taking a 6-0 lead, the Captains would pull away with a seven-run fifth. Ten batters came to the plate as CNU scored seven runs on six hits without the benefit of an error in the inning. Koenig and Mutter reached on back-to-back one-out singles and Stone Lasseigne loaded the bases with a hit by pitch. Donovan Newell kickstarted the inning with an RBI single through the right side and the bases remained full for J. Benedict. 

One day after hitting a monstrous home run against St. Mary's on the road, the senior center fielder added a grand slam to his ledger against the Seahawks. Turning on the second pitch of the at-bat and scalding a line drive into the netting in left field, Benedict's blast gave the Captains an 11-0 lead. His team-leading fifth home run of the season was his second grand slam. 

The inning continued to unfold as Slough walked and Logan Adams added another round-tripper with a two-run shot to left center field. By the end of the inning, the Captains took a 13-0 lead and needed just six outs to close out the win. 

J. Benedict was 2-for-3 with 4 RBI, 3 runs scored, a walk and a stolen base to lead the offense from the top. Croll and Koenig were each 2-for-3 with a walk and had a pair of RBI in the game. 

Christopher Newport is back in action on Tuesday, March 31 against North Carolina Wesleyan University. Game time against the Battling Bishops is slated for 3:00 p.m.