FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- The nationally-ranked Christopher Newport baseball team raced out to a 10-3 lead at Methodist on Sunday, playing in the Captains' finale of the Armstrong Invitational, but the Monarchs stormed back to force extra innings and clipped CNU by one, 12-11, in the tenth. The Captains fall to 8-3 after the loss and escape the weekend winners in two of three games played. 

Offensively, Christopher Newport stacked up 11 more runs on 14 hits, but the defense committed six errors leading to five unearned runs as Methodist mounted its comeback. CNU scored four runs in the top of the first inning, two in the fifth and four more in the top of the sixth inning. CNU rapped 13 singles while working station to station up and down the lineup. 

The action got started early as Scott Crosson led off with a single up the middle and moved up to second on a groundball. Zach Dzarnowski walked and Lincoln Lubsen loaded the bases with a single into right field. That would bring up Doc Daniels and the second baseman went the opposite way for a two-run double into the right field corner. Ayden Stuffel then grounded out to the right side, plating the third run of the inning, and Gus Croll singled up the middle for the fourth and final run. 

The Captains built a 4-0 lead before Jack Braley ever toed the rubber, staking their senior starter to an early lead. Braley got a double play in the first and struck out a pair in the second. He added another double play ball in the third while Methodist trimmed the lead to one, 4-3, with a throwing error by the Captains. 

In the fifth inning, the Captains extended the lead again as Crosson led off with a walk. He moved up on a groundball and Zach Dzarnowski singled him home with an RBI base hit up the middle. Lubsen and Daniels went back-to-back with two more base hits for the second run of the inning as CNU took a 6-3 edge. 

Getting into the bullpen, the Captains extended to a game-high seven-run lead when they tacked on four more runs in the sixth. Cameron Slough got things started with a single and moved up on a sacrifice bunt by Stone Lasseigne. Crosson's bat stayed hot, delivering an RBI single before Josh Reinhold walked to load the bases. Lubsen worked a walk to score a run and Daniels added a sacrifice fly. With two outs, Stuffel singled into right field to score Reinhold and the Captains took a 10-3 lead. 

Methodist answered back with three runs on two hits and two errors in the sixth and then added three more on three hits and another error in the seventh. Now leading by just one, 10-9, the Captains added an insurance run in the eighth. Daniels singled with one out and Stuffel beat out an infield single to get a runner in scoring position. Croll then smacked an RBI single into left field and CNU had some breathing room again, 11-9, with just six outs to play. 

The Monarchs would not go away, however, scoring a pair of unearned runs -- one in the bottom of the eighth to pull within one and the game-tying tally in the bottom of the ninth. CNU could not muster anything in the top of the tenth and Christian Williams opened the bottom half of the 10th with a strikeout. The Monarchs got two on before Williams nearly wiggled out of the jam with a groundball out, but Methodist snuck home the walk-off run with a single through the left side. 

CNU had five players with multi-hit performances including a pair of three-hit showings for Crosson and Daniels. Daniels delivered four RBI and two runs scored. 

The Captains will return to action on Wednesday, March 6 at Pfeiffer University.