NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The nationally-ranked Christopher Newport baseball team featured a well-balanced offensive attack against North Carolina Wesleyan University (8-17) on Wednesday afternoon to pull away for a 9-6 win. The Captains improved to 19-6 overall this season while getting RBI from six different players in the victory.

Senior Jake Benedict blasted his team-leading sixth home run of the game to lead off in the bottom of the first and the Captains offense kept rolling from there. CNU scored three runs in the fifth and four more in the seventh to take an 8-2 lead and held on for the 9-6 final. 

On the mound, junior reliever Mitchell Mortensen (4-0) picked up the win with four strong innings during the pre-determined bullpen game. He struck out three batters and gave up one unearned run on five hits over four frames. Eight more relievers came into the game including sophomore Charlie Gunn in the ninth, earning his fourth save of the year. 

Benedict's blast was his third straight game with a homer and the senior center fielder also added an RBI double later in the game. Sam Benedict kickstarted the three-run fifth inning with his third straight single to lead off the inning. After stealing second, he was able to trot into home on an RBI double by Cameron Slough. Logan Adams followed with another double that nearly left the yard off the top of the wall in left center, allowing Slough to come into score. 

The final run of the inning came in on the first of four sacrifice flies in the game by the Captains, tied for the second most in program history for a single game. Gus Croll delivered the first before two more Captains drove in a run on sac flies in the sixth when S. Benedict plated Andrew Hearn and Lukas Miller drove in Adams. Adams reached when he added his second RBI double in two innings, driving in a pair. 

The Captains offense finished out the run production with J. Benedict's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh. Croll doubled to left field and Jacob Koenig reached on a single into right center. After a sacrifice bunt by Hearn, Benedict picked up his second RBI of the day with the deep fly to right field. 

CNU took a 9-2 lead after the seventh but the Battling Bishops battled back, scoring four runs on two hits in the eighth to trim the lead to 9-6. That would be as close as they would get as senior Chase Hustead recorded the last two outs of the eighth without any further damage and Gunn came on in the ninth for the save. 

Five Captains finished the game with multi-hit performances led by a 3-for-4 showing by S. Benedict. Adams registered two hits and a walk in five plate appearances while driving in a team-high 3 runs on a pair of doubles. Koenig, Slough, and J. Benedict all recorded two hits in the win. 

CNU will return to action on Thursday, April 2 as they travel to Randolph-Macon College for a 3:30 p.m. first pitch against the Yellow Jackets.