ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. -- With a doubleheader split at second-place N.C. Wesleyan today, the eighth-ranked Christopher Newport Captains have clinched the 2013 USA South Athletic Conference Regular Season Championship. CNU (26-9-1, 17-6) picks up their third outright league title in the last six seasons, and will be the top seed in next week's USA South Conference Tournament. The Captains dropped the first game, 1-0, but bounced back for a 12-6 win in the nightcap, as both starters carried no-hitters into the sixth inning. 

The Battling Bishops (19-20, 15-8) locked up the number two seed after defeating CNU ace Austin Chrismon (6-3) in the opening game of the twin bill. The Captains junior right-hander suffered his third complete-game loss of the season, falling 1-0. Chrismon was matched by Bishops' junior utility man Will Beasley, who improved to 4-2 this season with a complete game win.

Rookie Travis Younger loaded the bases in the fourth inning, when he singled into left field with two outs, but the Captains would leave them loaded when freshman Kyle Corwin's hard liner was snared by the first baseman. CNU stranded a runner on third four times in the game as the offense sputtered. 

Still, on the other side of the ball, Chrismon had the Bishops off balance all day and managed to keep the Captains in the game. He was perfect through 5.1 innings before giving up a single in the sixth inning, and had still faced the minimum, courtesy of a double play, through the first 6.2 innings. Chrismon did not allow a runner to reach second base until the ninth inning. With the game still scoreless, Hayden Williams led off with a double in the bottom of the ninth. Pinch hitter Alex Rodriguez reached on a fielder's choice sacrifice bunt, and promptly stole second base putting Chrismon in a jam, with two runners in scoring position and nobody out. He managed to get an infield pop out for the first out, but then the Bishops' leading hitter, Ciro Norzagaray, walked off with a single to right field.

Chrismon's final line was 8.1 innings pitched, five hits, one run and just 29 batters faced. He struck out a pair in the loss, notching the 20th straight quality start for a CNU pitcher against the USA South. Younger led the offense, going 2-for-4 in the first game.

In game two, the Captains offense opened up in support of rookie left-handed starter Brandon Taylor (6-2), scoring eight runs in the second inning. CNU held on for an 12-6 victory on the road, clinching the top seed.

The first seven batters reached base in the second inning for the Captains, as CNU raced out to a big lead. Senior Christopher McDougal walked, followed by back-to-back singled by Justin Weaver and Jacob Houston. After Younger was hit by a pitch, Houston's RBI knock was backed up by a two-run double to right center field from Corwin. Andy Viands and Billy Steel would add RBI singles before the lineup turned over, but the Captains wouldn't finish there. In his second at-bat of the inning, Weaver drove in a pair with a single to right field. Finally, CNU got one more on an RBI single from Houston, his second of the inning.

CNU tacked on three more in the fifth, taking an 11-0 lead. Viands, Preston Grissom and McDougal had RBI in the inning.

With an 11-0 advantage, the freshman pitcher was settled in for the Captains. He had a no-hitter going through five innings before the Bishops got to him in the sixth. Norzagaray got N.C. Wesleyan their first hit, with a one-out single to put a pair in scoring position. Then, after a strikeout, J.J. Rodriguez put the Bishops on the board with a two-out RBI single to left field. Stephen Machin added an infield single for another RBI, cutting the lead to 11-2, but Taylor closed out the inning with a groundout. 

That would be the game for Taylor, who tossed the 21st straight quality start against league opponents this year, with a 6.0-inning, four-hit, seven-strikeout performance.

The Bishops would get four runs in the seventh off reliever Matt Verdillo, but would get no closer than 11-6 as Ryan Fleischmann made his 83rd career relief appearance, holding the Bishops hitless over two innings of work. A sacrifice fly by Grissom in the top of the ninth gave CNU the final win of 12-6. 

Christopher Newport will be the top seed in next week's conference tournament, being held in the cities of Wilson and Zebulon, N.C. Stay tuned to CNUsports.com for more information. On Sunday, the Captains will close out regular season play in the series finale against the Bishops, at 2:00 pm. Live stats will be available.