NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- On a beautiful Spring afternoon at Captains Park, a crowd of over 200 witnessed one of the finest pitching performances in program history on Thursday afternoon as Christopher Newport senior Dylan Weber hurled an historic two-hit shutout against Virginia Wesleyan University (5-22-1). Weber faced just one batter over the minimum against the Marlins, setting a program record for the fewest batters faced in a complete game effort, while striking out 12 as he led the Captains to a 10-0 win at home. The nationally-ranked CNU baseball team improved to 27-7 overall this season behind their ace on the mound. 

Penning his first career complete game effort, Weber was dominant from the start against the cross-water rivals. He retired the first 16 batters he faced before finally surrendering a base hit into left field with one out in the sixth inning. One pitch later, the savvy left-handed starter induced an inning-ending double play and continued to face the minimum number of batters into the eighth frame. With a one-out double in the eighth, the Marlins finally forced Weber to face four batters in an inning, but he returned to the mound in the ninth and slammed the door with his seventh 1-2-3 inning, including a game-ending punctuation mark with his season-high 12th K of the day. 

As far as where Weber's game might rank all-time in Christopher Newport history, it inarguably is inserted among one of the most dominant single game efforts all-time. Weber's gem rivals several fantastic solo shutout performances on the all-time charts, including on March 6, 1993, when Dwayne Ray struck out 16 batters in a one-hit shutout against Division II Mansfield in a game the Captains won, 1-0. Then, on April 21, 2005, Mike Cosby faced what was then a record 31 batters in a two-hit shutout against Mary Washington. Also, in 2012, Greg Goldsmith held Averett scoreless in a one-hit shutout, facing 32 batters while striking out six. The Captains have also seen a number of pitchers go deeper into games, including an 11.0 inning masterpiece in the 2003 NCAA World Series by Eben Brower, but Weber's outing will certainly be remembered amongst the top pitching efforts all-time at CNU. 

Over 9.0 complete frames, Weber did not issue a single walk or hit-by-pitch. He struck out 12, including a lead-off punchout in seven innings and multiple K's in three frames, falling just one shy of his record of 13 in a game. And he joins teammate Jack Braley to give Christopher Newport multiple 9-inning solo shutouts for the first time since 2014. 

While the veteran hurler took care of one side of the ball, the Captains' patience at the plate headlined the offensive effort. Taking on seven different Virginia Wesleyan pitchers in the game, the Captains piled up 10 walks and six hit-batsmen for 16 total free passes in the contest. Leading the charge with his excellent plate discipline, Zach Dzarnowski worked three more walks to add to his team-high total and moved into a tie for fourth all-time at CNU with 36 walks this season. He tied Seth Woodard's 2018 season and sits just two shy of Keith Windle (2000) for a top-three single season at CNU. 

Dzarnowski also had what would prove to be the game-winning hit in the bottom of the first after Scott Crosson and Josh Reinhold reached on a HBP and walk to lead off the game. The sophomore backstop blistered an RBI single through the left side to plate Crosson for the game's first run, and all the support Weber would need. CNU tacked on another run on an RBI groundout by Alec Reilly later in the frame, taking a 2-0 lead. 

CNU scored another run in the fourth when Jake Benedict walked to lead off and came around to score on a bases-loaded free pass by Reinhold several batters later. The big blow would come in the fifth, however, when Justin Bowers and Ayden Stuffel reached ahead of second baseman Justin Liakos. Lifting the Captains' fans out of their seats, Liakos delivered on a 2-1 pitch with a laser into the left field corner; Bowers scored easily and Stuffel shifted gears to score all the way from first base. 

The two-run base knock gave the Captains a 5-0 lead that would double in the bottom of the seventh inning. With the bases loaded, Sam Benedict slipped a seeing-eye single through the right side of the infield to plate a pair and then Reinhold added another RBI with a groundball out. Dzarnowski worked his third walk of the game to bring up Bowers, who capped the day offensively with a two-run single into center field. 

With the win, Weber improved to 5-2 on the season with a 3.83 ERA and a team-high 68 strikeouts in 49.1 innings pitched. He made his 37th career start, tied with Bryan Bierlein (2011-14) for fifth on the all-time chart and currently sits sixth all-time with 229 career strikeouts. 

Christopher Newport is off this weekend and will return to action next Wednesday, April 19 as they travel to Pfeiffer University in North Carolina. First pitch against the Falcons is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.