BRIDGEWATER, Va. – The 13th-ranked Bridgewater College baseball team delivered an offensive surge to hold off No. 19 Christopher Newport at home Wednesday by a final score of 8-7.

Score: Bridgewater (BC) 8, Christopher Newport (CNU) 7
Records: BC (19-3), CNU (16-6)

How It Happened
• Both teams traded offensive surges as CNU began with the initial punch, and BC responded. CNU kicked out an early 1-0 lead in the opening inning, but BC stayed close throughout the game. BC responded with bases loaded, and Trent Holland got Nick Stavros to score with a walk. Ashton Smith added to the early offense with a single to right field, knocking in Bransen Hensley for the 2-1 lead.
• In the third inning, CNU struck again and reclaimed the lead. Two runs came around with an RBI single and a run from a throwing error. The Captains continued with the offensive traction and added a fourth run in the fourth inning with an RBI single. The back-and-forth offensive surges continued as BC racked up two runs to tie the score at four apiece. Bryce Suters smacked a solo home run, and Chandler Valbak executed a successful sac fly to score Jakson Walter.
• The Captains lunged ahead once more to take a 5-4 lead with another RBI single. From there, the Eagles clamped to a rhythmic offensive rally and applied immense pressure. BC quickly knotted the score at five apiece after a sac fly from Holland, and the Eagles gained traction soon after.
• The Eagles piled on three runs in the seventh inning, ignited by an RBI double by Stavros. Then, Bransen Hensley pieced together a successful sac fly for the second run of the frame as Valbak crossed home plate. Zack Chadwell closed the offensive run with a drilled single through the infield to bring home Stavros.
• At 8-5, the Captains had fight left in them. In the eighth inning, CNU added two runs to the board to drop the deficit to just one run. As the ninth inning entered the vision, the Eagles handed the ball to Cam Nuckols to close out the contest. With two runners on, Nuckols dialed in. He got the line out first, then a popout to be left with two outs and two men left on base. Nuckols was up against a 3-1 count but stopped the CNU late-game rally short with the third out from a ground out to lock down the win.

Game Notes
• Nick Stavros had a stellar performance at the plate with three hits, one run, and one RBI.
• Bryce Suters continued his scorching bat with his fifth homer of the season to keep his season batting average at .443.
• Cam Nuckols earned his first save in his career at BC.
• Lucas pitched six innings on eight strikeouts, four runs, and two walks.

Up Next
The Eagles are back in action on Saturday, March 28 to face Averett in a doubleheader at 12 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

— BC Athletics —