SALISBURY, Md. -- For the second straight day, the Christopher Newport baseball team was locked in a tight battle with nationally-ranked Salisbury for the conference championship, and for the second straight day, the Captains took an early lead but the host Sea Gulls rallied for a 4-2 win in the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference title game. 

In two games in the conference championship series, the Captains pitching staff held the potent Salisbury attack to just nine runs, marking the second fewest allowed by a Sea Gulls opponent in back-to-back games since February 26-27. Three CNU arms combined to allow just four runs on 12 hits with four strikeouts in the game on Sunday, starting with sophomore Jack Anderson. 

Anderson struck out three over 3.0 innings pitched for the Captains, giving up two runs on four hits with a couple of walks. He then gave way to David Gingras, who pitched into the seventh inning while scattering seven hits and allowing just one run. Gingras suffered the loss, falling to 0-2, while striking out one and walking two. Wrapping up the Captains' effort on the mound was junior Danny Checkosky, finishing out the final 1.2 innings with one run on one hit and one walk. 

Salisbury countered with Xavier Marmol, who surrendered a two-run lead over 2.2 innings of work as the starter. He gave up five CNU hits in the first three innings, including the two RBI base hits in the third as Christopher Newport took the early lead. 

Jonathan Fisher led things off with a first-pitch single into right field and then he promptly moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt by Conner Clark. The sac bunt added to his own career record with the 31st of his career. Moments later, Scott Crosson put a good swing on an 0-2 pitch to put runners on the corners for leading run producer, Justin Bowers. The junior first-baseman drove home Fisher with a single through the right side and put the Captains ahead, 1-0. The next batter, Daniel Elliott, blistered a double into the corner to plate the game's second run as Crosson raced home. 

The lead would not hold long for CNU as Salisbury answered right back to tie the game at two runs apiece with a pair in the bottom of the third. Kyle Schofield singled in the fifth and Fisher added his second hit of the day in the sixth, but both were stranded as the CNU threats went empty in the middle innings. Salisbury took the lead in the bottom of the seventh and looked poised to add more with the bases loaded and only one out, but Checkosky came on and induced a crucial inning-ending double play up the middle. Fisher fielded the ground ball, flicked to Elliott at second and the relay throw to first narrowly beat the runner for two. 

Unfortunately, the offense was unable to parlay the defensive gem into offense as Drew Caroline singled in the eighth but was left there. The Sea Gulls added an insurance run in the bottom of the inning to take a 4-2 lead, and though the Captains threatened in the top of the ninth, the Salisbury pitching staff held on for the win. Shane Kelleher singled and Elliott reached on a hit-by-pitch before a groundball to first dashed the Captains' hopes at a conference title in 2022. 

Fisher led the day with a 2-for-4 showing at the dish, scoring once. Seven other Captains picked up one base hit in the game while Elliott added a walk and a HBP to reach base three times in five plate appearances.

With the setback, the Captains fall to 25-12 overall on the season while Salisbury improved to 30-8.