BRIDGEWATER, Va. – Bridgewater senior Kyle Henshaw pitched seven strong innings Thursday afternoon to lead the Eagles to a 5-1 non-conference victory over Christopher Newport University.
Henshaw was in control from the opening pitched as he allowed just one unearned run on five hits in his seven innings on the mound. The Eagles right-hander struck out three batters and walked just one.
The Eagles grabbed an early lead with a run in the bottom of the second. Brett Howell led off the inning with a single and moved to second on Zach Hynes' grounder to the right side. Howell scored on Darren Yoder's triple to the gap in left center for a 1-0 Bridgewater lead.
The Captains took advantage of an Eagles' fielding miscue to tie the score in the fifth. Henshaw struck out Kyle Corwin to start the inning before giving up a single to A.J. Nicely. Henshaw notched another strikeout when Curtis Pittman was caught looking at strike three. Collin Wilber hit a one-hopper to short, but Hynes bobbled the ball to keep the inning alive. Leadoff batter Tommy Vitaletti then lined a single to center, scoring Nicely to tie the score at 1-1.
Bridgewater took advantage of a Captains error to regain the lead in the bottom of the sixth. Bryan Sanderson led off the frame with a grounder to short and was safe at first when Billy Steel's throw pulled Pittman off the bag at first for an error. Sanderson moved to second on a passed ball and scored on a single to left by Hynes, giving Bridgewater a 2-1 lead.
The Eagles added another run in the seventh. Ryan Fitzgerald led off with a bunt single and Nick Fulk followed with a bunt single to put two runners on with no outs. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch and Fitzgerald scored from third on another wild pitch to pad the Eagles lead to 3-1.
After Dillon Via retired the Captains in order in the top of the eighth, Bridgewater added some insurance with two more runs in the bottom half of the inning. Brett Howell led off the inning with a double down the right-field line. Pinch-runner Damian Reed took third on a wild pitch and scored on a passed ball to give the Eagles a 4-1 lead. Hynes got things started again when he walked. After pinch hitter Kenner Berry struck out, Hynes moved to second on a pitch in the dirt and continued to third when the throw from CNU catcher Wilber bounced into the outfield. Hynes scored on a single by Fitzgerald to put the Eagles on top 5-1.
Nick Corbin worked a scoreless ninth for the Eagles to finish off the 5-1 victory.
Fulk was 3-for-4 on the day to lead the Eagles 10-hit attack. Howell, Yoder and Fitzgerald added two hits each. Hynes, Yoder and Fitzgerald were each credited with one run batted in.
The Captains managed just six hits with Corwin leading the way with two.
With the victory, the Eagles improve to 14-7 on the season while the Captains drop to 11-10 overall.
Bridgewater returns to action Saturday afternoon when it hosts Division II opponent Bluefield State for a non-conference doubleheader. The first game is scheduled for a noon start.