NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The nationally-ranked Christopher Newport baseball team earned a share of the program's first ever Capital Athletic Conference regular season title with a doubleheader sweep over Wesley College (10-23, 4-14) on Senior Day at Captains Park on Saturday afternnon. The Captains dominated game one, 22-2, before a walk-off extra-inning win in game two, 4-3, to tie Salisbury for the best record in the league this season. 

Following Saturday's doubleheader, Salisbury and Christopher Newport remain tied atop the league standings, but the Captains secured the number two seed in the coming CAC Tournament via a tiebreaker. CNU will host the #3- and #5-seeds in a three-team first round pod in next week's postseason tournament. 

Playing in front of one of the best crowds this season on a gorgeous spring day, the Captains entertained fans in an offensive outburst in the first game, scoring the most runs in a game since the 2003 season when CNU shut out St. Mary's (Md.), 23-0. On Saturday, the Captains carried a 22-0 lead into the ninth before surrendering the shutout in the final inning. 

The win gave CNU 30 victories on the season, marking just the fifth 30-win campaign in CNU baseball history. It is the first time since 2012 the Captains reached 30 wins, when the team reached Appleton and the Division III College World Series. 

Behind another stout pitching performance from sophomore Thomas Packert (8-0), the Captains offense exploded for 22 runs on 16 hits. CNU sent the entire lineup to the plate in three straight innings as they pulled away in the middle innings, including a 10-run sixth that shut the door on Wesley.  

In the game, junior Seth Woodard went 3-for-4 with 6 RBI and 4 runs scored to lead the dominant effort. Senior Craig Johnson also had a stellar performance, driving in four runs in a 2-for-3 effort and a walk. Six Captains had multi-hit performances and six scored more than once. In the blowout, the senior class had a strong showing, with Johnson and Brandon Ginch (2-for-4, 3 R, 1 RBI) leading the charge. Pitchers Joe Burris and Ryan Powell each reached base in their first career at-bats, while Logan Aylor tossed two strong innings of relief. Carter Biringer also added a hit with an RBI and run scored in his final home regular season game. 

Packert improved to 8-0 on the season with 6.0 shutout innings while allowing just two hits and walking one. He struck out five while facing only one batter more than the minimum. Aylor struck out a pair in 2.0 clean innings of relief. Jaret West finished off the win with the ninth inning. 

In game two, the script flipped as Alex Marrs put together a strong outing on the mound for Wesley. He pitched nine innings and was in line for the win before the Captains' dramatics tied things up with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

Trailing 3-1 heading into the bottom of the ninth, Ginch led things off with a single into center field. After a flyout, Johnson came through with a hard-hit single through the left side to put the tying run on base.  Another flyout put CNU one out away from the loss, but head coach John Harvell called on pinch-hitter John Anderson to face Marrs. just three weeks after Anderson walked off against Marymount, the junior came up in the clutch again, blistering a 2-2 pitch off the center field wall for a game-tying triple. 

The game would go into extra innings, where senior Joe Burris took over. Burris tossed a season-high 3.2 innings of relief to earn the win, 2-0, with three strikeouts. The impressive relief effort was the most innings pitched in a game by the Captains' leading reliever since he was a starter during his freshman year. 

He relieved sophomore Brian Owens, who was also stretched to a season-high 3.1 innings. The lefty kept CNU in the game by keeping Wesley off the board into the 8th inning. Ryan Powell also appeared, closing out the fourth for starter Josh Husby with two-thirds of an inning pitched. 

With the momentum shifted back in favor of the Captains, the win would come in the bottom of the 11th. Nick DiNapoli doubled with one out to put the game-winning run in scoring position. Then, after an intentional walk to Ryan Grubbs, Austin Henry smashed a game-winning double into right center field to walk off with the win.

With the wins, CNU improved to 31-7 overall and 15-3 in league play. Wesley closed the book on their season with a 10-23 overall mark, 4-14 in the CAC. 

The playoff seeding will be determined following Monday afternoon's final regular season game of the season between York (Pa.) and Frostburg State. CNU knows it will welcome third-seeded Penn State Harrisburg, but the fifth seed has yet to be determined. For full schedule and ticket information, tune to CNUsports.com later this week. 

Prior to the postseason tournament, the Captains will close out the regular season in non-conference action on Tuesday, May 1 at third-ranked Randolph-Macon College.