JENKINTOWN, Pa. -- The Captains offense scored 12 runs in the final three innings of the two games combined on Saturday as the 20th-ranked Christopher Newport baseball team surged to a pair of wins at Penn State Abington, 11-4 and 9-6. CNU improved to 15-6 overall behind another standout pitching performance from Brandon Cassedy (5-1) in game one and a come-from-behind rally in game two. 

Facing the Nittany Lions for a pair on a beautiful, Spring day in Pennsylvania, the Captains offense scored a run in 11 of the 18 innings. CNU scored a combined 20 runs on 27 hits including eight for extra bases. Three Captains went deep in the doubleheader as Josh Reinhold, Doc Daniels, and Jake Benedict each recorded home runs in the sweep. 

While the offense was clicking from the first inning on, the Captains sophomore starter Brandon Cassedy stole the show again for his fifth win of the season. With 13 punchouts against the Lions, Cassedy took over the Division III lead in strikeouts for the season with 72. He is the first player to reach 70 K in Division III this year and one of only four players in the NCAA, including Division I, II, and III, to strike out 70 this season including Ryan Johnson (DBU), Hagen Smith (Arkansas), and Riley Huge (Winthrop). 

The Captains' right-hander reached double-digit strikeouts for the third straight start and the fourth time this season. His 72 K's have come in 44 innings pitched and he set a new CNU Baseball record for the fastest a pitcher has ever struck out 70 in a season, breaking Jay Cassady's standard of 44 innings in 2022. Cassedy struck out his 70th with one out in the 5th inning, after 41.1 innings pitched this year. 

On Saturday, Cassedy finished out 7.0 innings pitched while allowing two runs on six hits. Connor Godshalk tossed the eighth, allowing one run on two hits, and Ryan Morrison finished out the win with a strikeout and one unearned run on one hit in the ninth. 

While the pitching staff did their part, the Captains offense got out in front with two runs in the first and added two more in the fourth. CNU then scored five in the seventh and tacked on single runs in the eighth and ninth. 

Things got started early when Scott Crosson led off the game with a single and moved up on a wild pitch. Junior catcher Lincoln Lubsen walked, the first of four free passes in the game for the backstop, and Daniels plated the first run of the game with an RBI single into right center. The RBI base knock was a sign of things to come for the Captains' second baseman, who finished the day with a team-high 5 RBI on four hits in the doubleheader. Lubsen then raced home on an errant throw as CNU took a 2-0 lead. 

In the fourth, Ayden Stuffel led off with a single and Gus Croll reached on a hit-by-pitch. After Eric Wilson executed a sacrifice bunt, rookie Jacob Koenig doubled into the gap to score a pair and give the Captains a 4-1 advantage. 

A solo homer by the home team in the bottom of the sixth trimmed the lead to two momentarily, but Christopher Newport broke the game open with five in the top of the seventh. The big blow came off the bat of sophomore shortstop Josh Reinhold with a three-run blast to cap the big inning. The seventh started the same way as the fourth when Stuffel led off again, doubling into left center field, and Croll reached on another HBP. After Wilson walked to load the bases, Crosson doubled to score a pair and bring Reinhold to the plate. Working into a hitter's count, the Lewes, Del. native smashed a three-run opposite field shot for his second round-tripper of the season. 

Now staked to a 9-2 lead, the Captains tacked on single runs in the eighth and ninth. Stuffel scored in the eighth after walking to lead off the inning and stealing second base. He raced home on an error for his team-high third run of the game. In the top of the ninth, Reinhold walked and stole second and third base before Daniels stepped in and delivered an RBI double to the right center field gap. 

After the game one win, CNU got multi-hit performances from six different players, including Daniels and Benedict, who each homered. After taking a 2-0 lead, though, Abington scored five in the bottom of the fourth to take a 5-2 advantage and force CNU into a comeback situation. In the fifth, CNU scored twice, followed by a single run by the home team in the sixth, taking a 6-4 lead into the final third of the game. CNU then scored a run in the seventh and took the lead in the eighth with a pair; the Captains finished out the game with two more insurance runs in the top of the ninth. 

Benedict's home run got things started in the top of the second, giving CNU a 1-0 lead. In the third, Reinhold doubled to left field and was followed by a pair of infield singles by Lubsen and Daniels to load the bases. The CNU threat was limited to just a single run when Benedict added his second RBI with a single into center field. 

After Penn State Abington scored five in the bottom of the fourth, CNU snuck two more across in the next half inning. Daniels led off with a walk and Stuffel stayed hot with a single into right field. After Benedict reached on a bunt single with his third hit of the game, the bases were loaded for Aaron Maxie. The freshman was drilled on the first pitch, scoring a run, and Cameron Slough added an RBI groundout one batter later. 

Trailing into the seventh inning, the Captains' freshmen stepped up and got the offense rolling. Maxie singled into left field and Slough walked. Gus Croll then hit a sacrifice fly to pull the Captains within one, 6-5. Then, in the eighth inning, Daniels tied the game with a momentous solo shot to deep center field. After Benedict reached on an error, Maxie then plated the go-ahead run with a single into left field. 

In the ninth, CNU tacked on a pair of insurance runs, courtesy of two hits and a pair of Abington errors. Slough singled through the right side and Koenig reached on a bunt single. After an error on Croll's sacrifice bunt attempt, the bases were loaded for Lubsen, who delivered an RBI groundout and a second run scored on an errant throw. 

On the mound, a strong start for Jack Braley was marred by a grand slam in the fourth inning. He finished with five strikeouts while surrendering five runs, four earned, in four innings of work. He gave way to Marcus Dux, who tossed 2.2 innings with one strikeout and one run on three hits. With two outs in the seventh, Kyle Lewis came on and stopped an Abington threat with a pivotal strikeout to end the inning. In the eighth, Lewis struck out another and gave up just an infield single while working through another clean inning. This season, Lewis has appeared in 11 games without giving up an earned run, striking out 21 over 13.1 innings pitched. 

Working in his second relief appearance of the season, Dylan Weber then came on in the bottom of the ninth in his second career save situation. The veteran left-hander struck out the first two he faced on seven pitches before giving up back-to-back singles. Then, with the tying run at the plate, Weber picked up his third strikeout to slam the door on the Nittany Lions. 

Christopher Newport is scheduled to return to the field on Monday, April 1 at Bridgewater College. CNU will then host Pfeiffer University on Tuesday afternoon at 3:00 p.m.