NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- With an 8-4 win at Captains Park on Sunday afternoon, the Christopher Newport baseball team closed its opening week of the 2023 season with a perfect 5-0 record. The Captains earned a three-game sweep over New Paltz with the victory and won the team's first five games of the season for just the seventh time in program history. 

For the third straight game, patience at the plate proved virtuous for the Captains as the home team worked eight walks again on Sunday. Two of the free passes led to runs in the first inning as Christopher Newport jumped out to a 3-0 lead early. New Paltz cut the lead to one with a homer in the third, but CNU slowly built the lead to as many as five runs by the end of the seventh.

Scott Crosson reached base in four of his five plate appearances to lead the way offensively, going 2-for-3 with a pair of walks. Starting at designated hitter, Crosson walked and scored in the third and led off the fifth with a single. Jay Cassady and Alec Reilly each had a two RBI while Jake Benedict led the team with a pair of runs scored. 

On the mound, Jake Braley started and threw into the fourth inning, striking out four batters. He allowed just two runs on seven hits in his first start of the season before giving way to Danny Checkosky (1-0) with two outs in the fourth. Checkosky came in and promptly picked off a runner to deny a game-tying opportunity for the Hawks, and then cruised through the fifth inning 1-2-3, including another pick off. 

David Gingras and Kyle Lewis combined to pitch the next three innings before the Captains called on Daniel Elliott in the top of the ninth. Wrapping up an outstanding first week on the bump, Elliott struck out the side for the second time in three outings this year. The junior closer has recorded 12 outs in relief for the Captains this season with 10 strikeouts. 

Another Captain finishing off an outstanding first week was senior right fielder Alec Reilly, who delivered a two-run single in the bottom of the first to put CNU ahead for good. Reilly reached base at a .550 clip with five hits and six walks; he scored seven times, drove in six runs and added a pair of stolen bases. 

After Reilly drove in a pair, Cassady stepped in two batters later and plated another run with his first of two sacrifice flies in the game. The second came two innings later when he chased in Crosson with a shot to right field that the New Paltz defender made a diving play to keep from going for extra bases. Cassady settled for the sac fly and Crosson's run made it 4-2 on the scoreboard. 

CNU tacked on a single run in the sixth as Jake Benedict reached on a hit-by-pitch and was sacrificed to second by his twin brother Sam Benedict. After a groundball to the right side, Justin Bowers slammed a hard groundball off the first baseman to drive in another run. In the seventh, the offense gave the pitching staff a little more breathing room by taking advantage of an error to score three more. First, Jay Cassady reached with a two-out HBP and moved up to third on a passed ball and balk. Drew Caroline then drove in a run with a picture-perfect single through the right side. Jake Benedict doubled down the right field line to put two in scoring position when Sam Benedict trickled a groundball up the middle that the shortstop couldn't handle, plating two more. 

The busy start to the season continues early this week as Christopher Newport will close out a seven-game homestand to start the year with home games against Hampden-Sydney on Tuesday and Bridgewater on Wednesday. Both games will begin at 2:00 p.m. at Captains Park.