SALISBURY, Md. -- After rainfall forced a three-and-a-half hour delay, the Christopher Newport baseball team took an early lead in game three of the 2022 Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Championships, but could not hold on against the top-seeded and nationally-ranked Salisbury Sea Gulls in a 5-4 setback. The teams will return to the diamond at Noon on Sunday in game four, with the Captains needing to win to force a decisive game five later in the day. 

Christopher Newport fell to 25-11 with the setback while Salisbury improved to 29-8 on the year. 

The Captains jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the game with two runs in the top of the first and another in the top of the fourth against Salisbury starter Jackson Balzan. With two outs in the first inning, Justin Bowers delivered a single through the left side and Daniel Elliott reached on an infield single to keep the inning alive. That would bring up senior Michael Martorano and the veteran outfielder pounded a two-run double to the opposite field to get Christopher Newport on the board. 

Martorano earned honorable mention All-Conference honors last week and ranks third on the team with a .333 average. He is riding a five-game hitting streak and the big hit gave him 25 RBI on the the season. 

Dylan Weber took the mound with a 2-0 lead and quickly worked through the first three innings allowing just two baserunnerswith one hit and one hit-by-pitch. He struck out three in the first three frames while the offense staked him to a 3-0 advantage.

The third run came in the top of the fourth when Drew Caroline continued his hot hitting weekend with his second home run in as many games. The veteran backstop drove a 1-1 pitch over the wall in left field for the second straight outing, picking up his second career blast. 

The key inning for the home team came in the bottom half of the inning, though, as Salisbury took advantage of three free passes to score four runs on four infield hits. After loading the bases, the Sea Gulls scored runs on four hits up the middle without leaving the infield grass. Salisbury added another run without recording a hit in the fifth, picking up an pivotal insurance run against CNU. 

After falling behind, 5-3, the Captains bats continued to press as Jonathan Fisher singled into right field and stole second in the sixth but finished the inning stranded. In the seventh, Scott Crosson led off with a single and was followed by another single by Bowers. After Elliott laid down a sacrifice bunt, sophomore Jay Cassady lofted a sacrifice fly to center as the Captains pulled back within one, 5-4. 

That would prove to be the final as the Captains recorded only one more hit in the game when Crosson picked up a one-out single in the ninth. Salisbury reliever Benji Thalheimer closed out the game with just one run allowed over the final three innings pitched to earn the save. Balzan improved to 8-1 with the win and Weber was saddled with the loss, falling to 3-4 on the year. 

The Captains pitchers held the potent Salisbury lineup to just five hits as Weber combined with rookie Colin D'Arcy on the mound. D'Arcy was sensational in relief, giving up just one baserunner on a hit-by-pitch over 3.2 innings of work, striking out three. He did not allow a hit in 12 batters faced. 

The CNU offense doubled up the Sea Gulls in the hit column, 10-5, with Crosson and Bowers leading the way with two hits apiece. The five-hole combined to go 2-for-2 with 3 RBI, a walk, and a sacrifice fly as Martorano and Cassady split the day in that spot. Eight different Captains registered at least one hit in the contest. 

Christopher Newport will look to force a decisive game three in the best-of-three championship series on Sunday as they return to the diamond for game two at Noon. Live stats and a live video webcast will be available at CNUsports.com.