MILLINGTON, Tenn. -- Wabash College (22-21) ended the winningest season in Christopher Newport school history today, in the 2011 NCAA South Regional with a 9-3 victory. The Captains close out the year with a 39-7 record, the most wins in the 30-year history of the program, but the quick exit from the school's sixth NCAA Tournament appearance veils the successful year with a bitter conclusion.

Wabash, making their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance, advances to play in Friday's first game at 3:30 pm CDT.

After a pair of scoreless innings to start Thursday's elimination game, the Little Giants took an 8-0 lead with a pair of four-run frames. After CNU starter Greg Goldsmith struck out the first batter in the third, the next two hitters reached on a pair of infield singles. The bases were loaded with a two-out walk and P.J. Tyson stepped up with a huge two-out, bases-clearing triple followed by an RBI single that would provide Wabash starter Brian Van Duyn with all the support he would need.

The Captains put two runs on the board in the fifth inning after a pair of leadoff singles from Connor Madden and Drue Vernon. Madden would score on a balk and Vernon came around on a groundout by Matt Shoemaker, but the Little Giants would get one back in the bottom half of the inning.

The Captains added a run in the top of the ninth on a sacrifice fly by Vernon, but that was it for both teams as the final ran to 9-3. CNU rookie Bryan Bierlein came on in relief to limit the damage. Bierlein went 3.1 innings and allowed three hits, one run, while striking out three. Jacob Vaughan pitched the ninth, recording one strikeout for the Captains. Offensively, CNU got a pair of hits in three at-bats from first baseman Steven Lindemuth and senior outfielder Vernon drove in one and scored one of the Captains three runs.

Van Duyn pitched a complete game for the Little Giants in what was easily his best performance of the season, giving up just eight hits and three runs to lead Wabash to their first ever NCAA Tournament victory.

CNU concludes the 2011 season with the distinction that not only is the 39 wins a program-high, but the .848 winning percentage shatters the previous record (.795 in 2003).