ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. -- Wrapping up a seven-game road trip with a perfect 7-0 record, the 16th-ranked Christopher Newport baseball team improved to 15-4 overall with an 11-2 win over North Carolina Wesleyan College on Monday afternoon. The Captains swept the season series behind a strong pitching performance from rookie Gray Goodrich and a late surge offensively. 

Goodrich (3-1) put togeher an impressive start against the Bishops, allowing just three hits over 6.0 innings of work. He struck out four and allowed just two runs in the game. In relief, sophomore Brian Owens tossed two perfect innings to hold the lead, and senior Logan Aylor added a clean ninth frame to secure the victory for CNU. 

Offensively, the Captains were held in check with just two runs over the first six innings, but exploded for nine in the final three frames. A pair of bases-clearing doubles did most of the damage as Jordan Mason and Seth Woodard each delivered with three men on late in the game. 

Facing a "staff day" on the mound for North Carolina Wesleyan, the Captains managed just two hits over the first four innings. In the fifth, though, junior second baseman Austin Henry would get the Captains on the board. With two outs, Brandon Ginch and Ryan Grubbs each reached with back-to-back hit-by-pitches. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch, setting up Henry with a single to left center to plate the games first two runs. 

The Bishops would even the score at two in the bottom of the sixth despite just one hit in the inning, as Goodrich worked through his first sign of trouble. After the first two batters reached, N.C. Wesleyan sacrificed the runners over. With one out, a groundball and another bunt scored two runs and tied the game. 

The deadlock wouldn't last long, though, as CNU supported it's rookie pitcher with four runs in the next half inning. Nick DiNapoli led things off with a walk, and Ginch singled to third base on a bunt. After two outs were recorded, Jordan Mason walked to load the bases and rookie Conner Clark walked in the go-ahead run. That would set up Woodard, who smashed a two-out double into the gap in left center to chase all three runners home. 

Owens came on in the seventh and promptly got the home team to go 1-2-3 and get the offense, heating up, back to the plate. Nicholas Baham led off with a double, followed by a walk from DiNapoli. Much like in the seventh, the Battling Bishops would then record two outs, but after a walk to Henry to load the bases, Mason stepped in for a back-breaking blow. Mason's two-bagger into right field made it 9-2 with just two innings left to play and the Bishops facing tough CNU pitching. 

Owens went back out for the eighth and made it 4-5-6 in a row, retiring all six batters he faced without issue. The Captains tacked on two more runs in the top of the ninth as head coach John Harvell went to his bench. Andrew Suppa, Carter Biringer, and Alex Abbey each walked in their pinch hit appearances to lead off the inning and load the bases for pinch hitter J.T. Bellotti. The junior middle infielder singled into left field to score one. After an infield fly, CNU went back to the bench with John Anderson earning the Captains' fifth pinch hit appearance of the day, delivering a single into left field for the final RBI of the contest. Anderson is now 5-for-9 on the season with 4 RBI and 2 runs scored. 

Mason led the way for CNU with a 2-for-5 effort and a walk, reaching base three times while driving in three and scoring once. 

With the setback, the Battling Bishops fall to 12-14 on the season. 

CNU will return to action at home on Wednesday, March 21 as they open conference play against Salisbury University at 3:00 pm. Live stats and a live video webcast will be available at CNUsports.com/live.