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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport University heads back into action on Saturday, as the Captains travel to Fredericksburg, Va., to take on the University of Mary Washington. The softball doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 12:00 p.m. at UMW's Softball stadium.

The Captains have won four straight games, and are coming off a doubleheader sweep on Sunday over Roanoke College at Captains Park. CNU won the opener, 4-0, and then took the nightcap by a 9-1 score in a game shortened to six innings. The home victories improved CNU's record to 24-10 on the season.

Christopher Newport continues to be one of the top home run hitting teams in the nation, and the Captains have recorded 43 in the first 34 games. CNU is third in the country in home runs per game with 1.26 per game. Junior Simone Thompson tops the squad with ten, while junior Brooke Zuber has left the yard nine times. Junior Candace Slaw is third in the country in base hits with 63, and has a batting average of .508, which is 23rd in the nation.

In the pitching circle, sophomore Caroline Alger has been selected the Pitcher of the Week in the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference the last two weeks, and three times in all this year. Alger has returned from injury and is 4-0 on the year with an earned run average of just 1.25. 

Mary Washington, meanwhile, is currently mired in a ten-game losing streak. The Eagles are 16-22 on the season, and lost both ends of a doubleheader to Bridgewater College on Wednesday in Fredericksburg by scores of 3-2 and 5-4. Christopher Newport and Mary Washington have played 75 games in the past, and the Captains hold a 64-11 lead in the all-time series, which dates back to 1989. CNU has won the last six games, and 14 of the last 15. Last year at Captains Park, Christopher Newport recorded victories by scores of 2-0 and 9-1 in five innings.

The games Saturday will be the final road contests of the regular season for Keith Parr's team, and the Captains are currently 13-7 this season away from Captains Park. 

CNU returns home to conclude the regular season at Captains Park on Sunday, May 3rd, vs. the Sea Gulls of Salisbury University. The opening game of the twin bill is scheduled for a 1:30 p.m. start. The Captains will then play in the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament on Friday, May 8th, with the site and opponent to be determined.