NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Trailing the Marymount Saints by two games in the conference standings heading into Saturday's doubleheader, the 14th-ranked Christopher Newport baseball team erased that deficit and moved into a tie for first place in the Capital Athletic Conference with a doubleheader sweep. The Captains (18-5, 7-2) won the first game, 7-4, and cruised to a game two win, 11-1, led by a six-RBI performance from sophomore DH Brandon Ginch.

Marymount falls to 15-11 overall with a matching 7-2 record, as CNU and Salisbury are now locked with the Saints in a three-way tie for first. 

The Captains' offense continued to fire on all cylinders, finding another groove this season with seven straight games scoring seven runs or more.  In the first game, CNU scored 7 on 10 hits, while adding 11 runs on 12 hits in the second. Leading the way for Christopher Newport was Ginch, connecting for four hits, including a long three-run home run in game one, with 6 RBI. 

In game one, Christopher Newport would take a 5-0 lead after five innings in support of starting pitcher Ryan Powell (2-0). Powell would throw six solid innings, scattering seven hits with a pair of strikeouts. The sophomore right-hander stranded one runner in each of the first four innings, and benefitted from a stellar throw by A.J. Nicely in the top of the 4th, to help keep the Saints off the board. With one out and a runner at second base, Roy Coates delivered a single through the left side that Nicely charged, picked up and fired toward the plate to erase a scoring chance for Marymount with the outfield assist. 

Senior Kyle Corwin got CNU on the board first, with an RBI single to plate Ginch in the second inning. Then, in the 4th, Collin Lawless delivered a sacrifice fly on an aggressive baserunning play from the Captains. With the bases loaded, Lawless fouled out just beyond first base, but as the second baseman made the catch, Keith Roberts tagged and sprinted home from third base. The play caught Marymount off guard and the Captains took a 2-0 lead. 

In the bottom of the 5th, CNU stretched the lead to 5-0 on a three-run blast from Ginch, after A.J. Nicely and Tommy Vitaletti reached on back-to-back walks. Ginch pounded a 3-2 pitch to left center that carried into the netting over the wall for his third home run of the season. 

The Saints broke through for two in the top of the sixth, cutting the lead to 5-2, but would again strand a runner as Powell got out of the inning with just the two runs allowed.  Joe Burris came out of the pen in the 7th, striking out the first two batters he faced. Marymount added one on a Brandon Orbe RBI single, but could not get closer in the 8th against reliever Caleb Myers. Myers tossed a clean inning in his team-leading 14th appearance of the year. After CNU tacked on two more in the bottom of the 8th, on a pair of RBI doubles from Lawless and Jordan Mason, it was senior closer Adam Emerson who finished out the win in the 9th inning. Emerson allowed a solo homer to Lorenzo Calderon, but retired the other three batters he faced to hand Marymount its first CAC loss of the season. 

The second game would not be as close, with CNU using an impressive pitching performance from a pair of underclassmen to lead the way. Rookie Austin Slough (4-0) started and tossed the first five innings for the Captains before giving way to sophomore Craig Johnson for the final four. Slough scattered seven hits with four strikeouts and a pair of walks, while Johnson picked up his first career save after four efficient innings of relief. Johnson struck out three with just one hit allowed in the final four frames. 

In the top of the 2nd, the Saints looked primed to bounce on Slough as they loaded the bases on a walk and back-to-back singles against the CNU freshman. Another stellar defensive play by Nicely, however, would stymie the threat when Kaden Darrow lofted a would-be sacrifice fly to left. Tagging on the play, Ryan Blake was gunned down on another rifle of a throw from the Captains' junior left fielder, doubling up the Saints. Slough would close out the threat with a flyout to right and escape unscathed. 

CNU opened up the scoring in the 4th inning when Tommy Vitaletti kicked things off with a double, and stole third moments later. Ginch delivered a slow roller toward shortstop that would plate Vitaletti on the infield single, and then he moved up on a sacrifice bunt by Roberts. Connor Henderson stepped in and delivered a single to left center, advancing Ginch, who would come in on a sacrifice fly by Corwin. The Captains would manufacture two more runs on singles by Brandon Walker and Austin Henry before the end of the inning. 

The teams traded runs in the fifth, and CNU broke the game open in the bottom of the 7th with a six-run inning. Corwin and Ginch each had two-RBI doubles in the inning, while Walker added a sacrifice fly and added a final run on an error by the shortstop. 

Carrying an 11-1 lead into the final innings, Johnson locked up the game with little issue. In the 9th, a two-out double extended the game, but Johnson struck out the next batter, Javier Herrera to finish off the win. 

Ginch finished the day 4-for-8 with 4 runs scored and 6 RBI; Corwin added a 3-for-7 effort with 1 run and 4 RBI, while the catcher position, between Walker and Lawless, also delivered 4 RBI on the day. 

CNU will return to non-conference action on Tuesday, March 29, as they host Methodist University at 3:00 pm. Live stats will be available at CNUsports.com/live.