Courtesy of CNU Athletic Communications

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - After dropping the opening game of the Capital Athletic Conference best-of-three final series at Mary Washington on Friday, the Captains of Christopher Newport faced the difficult task of having to win twice Saturday in Fredericksburg over the Eagles to take the conference crown. Keith Parr's team showed its resolve and muscle Saturday, blasting six home runs and scoring 18 times in back-to-back triumphs by scores of 8-0 and 10-6. The victories earn the Captains an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship, which gets underway next week. It will be the 13th straight trip to the tourney for the Captains.

The day began with a dominant pitching performance from junior Aubrey Bates, who threw six shutout innings Saturday morning in an 8-0 CNU victory that forced a third and deciding game. The opening game was shortened to six innings due to the eight-run rule. Bates allowed just one hit and struck out three as she upped her record to 11-2 on the season.

Three freshmen got the scoring started for CNU in game one, as Bailey Roberts and Capital Athletic Conference Player and Rookie of the Year Kaitlyn Hasty hit back-to-back home runs in the third inning to open a 3-0 lead. Hasty's solo blast followed Roberts' two-run shot, as Hasty set a new school record for home runs in a season with 18. An inning later, fellow first-year player Keely Crittenden cracked a solo shot in the fourth inning, her first home run and first RBI of the year, to give the Captains a 4-0 edge. 

Sophomore Patty Maye Ohanian delivered an RBI single in the fourth inning and then followed by bringing home two more runs in the sixth with another single to put the Captains ahead, 7-0. Roberts put the game to an end with another run-scoring single to conclude the Captains 8-0 triumph.

In the nightcap, Christopher Newport scored in six of seven innings to take the title with a 10-6 victory. Junior Grace Wild started the scoring with a solo shot in the top of the first. CNU then fell behind thanks to a five-run bottom of the first inning by the Eagles, as Mary Washington grabbed a 5-1 lead. The Captains then chipped away and eventually surged ahead to stay with four runs in the fourth to secure an 8-5 lead. Again, the home run ball was key as Roberts and Hasty again went back-to-back as they had in the opener. Roberts crushed her second of the day, a two-run blast, and Hasty followed with her second and 19th of the year as the Captains closed in on the crown. CNU added three runs on sacrifice flies, one by Ohanian in the fourth and two off the bat of Wild in the fifth and seventh frames to close out the scoring.

Sophomore Emily Weatherholtz entered the second game in relief in the second inning and earned the victory. She threw five innings, yielding just one run while scattering six hits, and upped her record to 13-1. Bates closed out the conference-winning victory by hurling a scoreless seventh.

The Captains scored a total of 18 runs on 26 hits in the doubleheader sweep. CNU now has crushed 60 home runs this season, most ever in a single season in program history. Christopher Newport is now 33-7, while Mary Washington ends the year with a 22-18 mark.

CNU won't learn its upcoming game location or opposition until Monday. The complete field for the NCAA Championship will be released Monday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.