North Tidewater News

Christopher Newport Softball Hosts Cross Bay Bash Starting Thursday Afternoon at 3 PM

Christopher Newport University will open its home softball schedule on Thursday, hosting Pfeiffer University. First pitch is set for 3:00 p.m. at Captains Park. The game will mark the first time the Captains have played at home since capturing the program's first National Championship in the spring.

A total of eight games will be hosted by CNU over the next three days in the Cross Bay Bash. CNU, the top-ranked team in the country, will play four times (once Thursday afternoon, once Friday afternoon, and twice on Saturday afternoon).

Keith Parr's squad is off to a 3-1 start to the new season. The Captains took part in last weekend's Grand Slam Triangle Classic in Raleigh, N.C., and sophomore pitcher Kate Alger was a key performer for the Captains in all three wins. Alger tossed a  no-hitter on Sunday against Bethany College, and faced the minimum of 21 batters while striking out 13. The lone Bethany base-runner reached on an error on a bunt attempt to lead off the game, and was erased on a double play. Alger, from Staunton, Va., also had a successful start on Saturday, going the distance in a 3-1 CNU victory over sixth-ranked Belhaven. Alger struck out 12 and allowed just one run on three base hits. She also appeared briefly in CNU's 15-7 victory over Susquehanna Saturday, striking out all three batters and yielding one hit in a scoreless inning of relief. She finished the weekend with 28 strikeouts in 15 innings with only one run allowed on four hits, and was named the Pitcher of the Week by the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference.

Now, CNU will face some of the toughest competition in the country in the Cross Bay Bash. The field includes second-ranked Trine, fifth-ranked Berry, and eighth-ranked Millikin. The Captains will take on the Big Blue of Millikin on Friday at 3:30 p.m. and then Trine and Berry on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.

Games will be open to the public with no admission fee. The complete schedule for the Cross Bay Bash: 

Original source can be found here