NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- With at least one run in every inning, the Christopher Newport baseball team continued to showcase a dominating offense as they cruised past the City College of New York (CCNY) on Sunday afternoon. The Captains scored 18 runs for the second day in a row, capturing an 18-1 to improve to 5-0 this season, dropping the Beavers to 0-4. 

The Captains have scored at least eight runs in all five games this season and the offense was clicking again on Sunday. CNU scored one run in each the first and second inning before a four-run third inning gave the pitching staff some breathing room. The Captains tacked on seven more in the middle innings and added five in the seventh and eight, putting a hurt on the CCNY pitching staff to the tune of 16 hits and 18 runs scored. 

On the other side of the field, junior left-handed starter Jaxn Lane put together the finest start of his career and led a dominating pitching effort between three CNU arms. Lane retired nine straight batters at one point and finished with a career-high 8 strikeouts in 5.0 innings of work. He allowed just three hits andd walked one to pick up his first win of the season. During his nine straight retired batters, Lane struck out six straight from the end of the first through the second out of the third inning. 

In relief, rookie Corey Williams thew three solid innings and finished with five strikeouts. He struck out the side in the seventh inning, marking the second inning of the game that CCNY went in order striking out three straight times. Finishing out the game, senior Blake Ream picked up right where the other two left off, striking out a pair in a scoreless ninth.  

It's possible the Captains didn't need the pitching staff to dominate as much as they did, finishing with just four hits and one run allowed, because the offense was in top form. The scoring started in the first when Tommy Vitaletti continued his hot streak to start the year, picking up an RBI groundout to plate A.J. Nicely. CNU added another run when senior Kyle Corwin smacked a run-scoring single into center field to score Connor Henderson after a lead-off double. 

The flood gates opened in the third when three runs would come around to score without needing an RBI knock. Vitaletti scored on a wild pitch, followed by Brandon Ginch sprinting home on a passed ball and Henderson scoring after a throwing error by the catcher on a stolen base attempt. Brandon Walker finished the scoring with an RBI single into left field, putting CNU on top 6-0 after three innings of work. 

A.J. Nicely singled to start the fourth, and came around to score on an RBI double by Vitaletti. The senior outfielder now has 12 RBI through the first five games, hitting .700 (14-20) in a hot streak to start the year. Carrying a 7-0 lead into the second half of the game, head coach John Harvell turned to his deep bench in the fifth. After Craig Johnson singled, pinch hitter Collin Lawless delivered an RBI double to the gap to get CNU on top 8-0. Then, in the sixth, CNU scored five runs on five hits using the bench. Bryant Lowry and Alex Abbey each singled, followed by a run-scoring wild pitch and a two-RBI double by Johnson. Lawless picked up his second RBI double of the game later in the inning before Jordan Mason added an RBI single two batters later. 

In their final two plate appearances, CNU continued to add to their lead, including an RBI single by Lowry, sacrifice fly by freshman Alex Abbey and an RBI hit-by-pitch from backup catcher George Watkins. Rookie Joseph Cutchins rounded out the scoring with an RBI walk to cap off an 18-run day. 

The leadoff slot went 4-for-7 in the game as Nicely and Mason each had two hits, while also scoring a combined three runs.  Lowry and Lawless each had two hits off the bench, while Craig Johnson led the way with a 2-for-4 performance, 2 runs and 2 RBI in a start out in left field. 

Jeffrey Diaz (0-1) suffered the loss for CCNY, despite allowing just six hits in 4.0 innings of work. Control issues were the story, as he walked four, hit a batter and served up five wild pitches. Offensively, Adrian Pena was 2-for-4 and delivered a solo home run to lead the way on a day where the offense struggled, managing just four hits. 

The Captains improved to 5-0 and are scheduled to play five games in the coming week. The next game is scheduled for 2:00 pm on Tuesday, February 23 against Randolph-Macon College. With rain in the forecast, fans are encouraged to follow @CNUAthletics on Social Media and check cnusports.com for updates.