NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (Courtesy of CNU Athletics) – Senior second baseman Caroline Pollock singled home the winning run in the tenth inning Saturday, as Christopher Newport University out-lasted Salisbury University, 3-2, in the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament at Captains Park. The victory in extra innings was the 15th straight for the Captains, and wrapped up the 2024 C2C Championship for Keith Parr‘s squad.
Junior pitcher Kate Alger went the distance for the third-ranked Captains, allowing just two runs on six hits in ten innings of work in the circle. She struck out nine batters while walking four, stranding eight Sea Gulls, and improved her record for the season to 14-4. Senior third baseman Brooke Greaver went four-for-five, and drove in CNU’s first two runs as the Captains battled back from a 2-0 deficit. Salisbury now has a record of 36-5, and the Sea Gulls opened the day with a 4-2 victory to oust Mary Washington from the tourney.
Salisbury opened the scoring in the third inning on an RBI double from second baseman Meghan Reed, followed two innings later by a solo home run from SU centerfielder Abby Mace to make it 2-0. After being held scoreless through the first four innings, the Captains pulled even in the bottom of the fifth when Greaver brought home two with a bases loaded single, the only hit of the inning. Salisbury pitching allowed four walks in the frame, and five in the game.
Pitching then took over, as Salisbury’s Nicole Ortega, who entered the game in relief in the fifth inning in place of starter Lindsey Windsor, and CNU’s Alger settled in. After four scoreless innings, the Captains finally broke through in the tenth. Fifth-year senior Delaney Nuckols opened the inning with a single, and moved to second on a single by senior Katie Currin. After senior Jules Donnelly walked to load the bases with one out, Pollock stepped in and delivered a single up the middle to bring home Nuckols with the winning run. Ortega took the loss for the Sea Gulls to fall to 16-4 on the year.
The C2C Championship is the second in three years for the Captains. CNU also won the tournament title two years ago in 2022 en route to the program’s first National Championship.
The Captains and Sea Gulls ended up playing four games over the last two weekends, with CNU winning all four at Captains Park. Christopher Newport, ranked third in the nation last week, and Salisbury, the fourth-ranked team in the country, will now await the release of the 2024 NCAA Division III Softball Championship. The 64-team bracket will be unveiled on Monday morning at 11:00 a.m. by the NCAA. CNUsports.com will have details on who and where the Captains will be playing, as Christopher Newport looks forward to its 17th consecutive NCAA Tournament.