NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Christopher Newport University posted its second straight victory Friday in the NCAA Softball Regional at Captains Park, beating Ramapo College (N.J.) in the first of three games played. The 7-4 verdict advanced the Captains to the Regional Championship on Saturday, as CNU will play Pfeiffer University (N.C.) at 11:00 a.m. The Falcons advanced by ousting both John Jay College, 8-0 in five innings, and Ramapo, 10-3, in the second and third games of the day Friday afternoon.
Keith Parr's squad has now won 17 straight games, and improved to 32-5 on the season. Junior pitcher Jamie Martin went the distance to earn the victory, and is now 12-1 on the season. Freshman centerfielder Candace Slaw recorded three hits in four at bats, including her first home run as a Captain in the first inning, to lead the way at the plate.
The Captains built a 7-0 lead before Ramapo rallied with two runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh to cut the final verdict to 7-4. Slaw's opening inning home run to center led to a four-run first frame for CNU. Senior outfielder Jules Donnelly drove home a run with a single, scoring fifth-year senior Delaney Nuckols, who had walked after the Slaw home run. Freshman catcher Maleah Maharty pushed the lead to 4-0 when she singled home Donnelly and senior Caroline Polllock, who had reached base on a single through the left side.
CNU added three more runs in the bottom of the third to jump to a 7-0 advantage, and managed to do it with just one base hit in the frame. Senior Katie Currin led off with a single, and then stole second base. Donnelly followed with a walk, and Pollock then dropped a sacrifice bunt. A throwing error by the Roadrunners on the bunt allowed Currin to score and Pollock to reach base. Freshman first baseman Natalie Quinlan successfully executed another sacrifice bunt, scoring Donnelly, and Maharty drove in her third run of the game with a sacrifice fly to stake the Captains to a 7-0 lead.
Martin, the National Pitcher of the Week the last two weeks and the Pitcher of the Year this year in the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference, sailed through the first five innings, yielding no runs on just four hits. Ramapo rallied, though, scoring twice in each of the last two innings. The Roadrunners hit two home runs, a two-run shot by Alexis Corra in the sixth and a solo shot by Ysabellah Otero in the seventh, to make it a 7-3 game. Katey Rygiel's run-scoring single later in the seventh cut the lead to three, 7-4, but proved to be all Ramapo could muster. Martin wiggled out of the jam by inducing a ground out and a line out, both with the potential tying run at the plate, to end the rally and propel the Captains to the Regional Championship.
Slaw, the Rookie of the Year in the C2C, was the only Captain with more than one base hit, going three-for-four as the Captains were out-hit by the Roadrunners, 9-8. Christopher Newport stole three bases in the game, one each by Slaw, Currin, and Pollock.
Saturday's Championship can be wrapped up by the Captains with a victory in the 11:00 a.m. game. A win by Pfeiffer would force a second and deciding game at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Captains Park. Pfeiffer, Champions of the USA South Athletic Conference, is 45-3, and lost to Ramapo on Thursday, 8-4, before bouncing back to record the back-to-back wins over John Jay and Ramapo to conclude a busy day at Captains Park Friday.
Check in Saturday to CNUsports.com for any updates or alterations to the schedule due to potential bad weather.