Box Score
Newport News, VA – Sophomore Jessica Rhoads gave up just three hits to Christopher Newport University in Saturday's NCAA Regional contest at Captains Field.
Unfortunately, two of them were home runs.
The host Captains utilized back-to-back dingers in the sixth inning to propel themselves to an eventual 4-0 win over the 2009 national champions, handing Messiah its first NCAA Tournament loss in the past two years.
The Falcons must now battle back if they want to qualify for the NCAA Division III World Series next weekend, as the team stands just a defeat away from ending its season in the double-elimination tournament.
"It hurts to lose, but we're not done yet," said Messiah head coach Amy Weaver. "We talked to our girls about our new goals after the game. We know we can do this. Today's loss makes it tougher, but we know we're good enough to get it done."
Saturday's game began very much like Friday's thriller with Salisbury University, as Messiah (37-8) and Christopher Newport (39-8) were locked in a pitcher's duel. Rhoads allowed just two base runners through the first five innings of play, while CNU's Kristen Rowe let five Falcons aboard.
Despite that statistic, it was the Captains that had the best chance to put a run on the tally, as an issued walk from Rhoads and a fielding error helped CNU put runners on the corners with two outs in the third.
Rhoads buckled down, however, striking out the Captains' Ashley Mani to end the threat.
Messiah, meanwhile, advanced just one runner into scoring position through the first five innings, as an error and a walk from CNU put senior Lindsay Hall and freshman Stephanie Schell at first and second in the second inning.
Rowe recorded one of her five strikeouts to retire the stanza, however, and the teams continued to seek any glimpse of offense.
In the sixth, CNU got plenty.
Following a one-out single from Captains' leadoff hitter Mary Kennedy, Rhoads gave up her first-ever NCAA Tournament long ball to Mani, putting the Falcons behind by a 2-0 score. CNU's Chelsea Mitchell then followed with a shocking solo blast over the left field fence, and Messiah trailed an opponent for the first time in two year's worth of NCAA competition.
"They're good hitters," Weaver said. "(Mani and Mitchell) got good pitches and they drove them. Jess missed her spots on a few pitches today, and they jumped on them. You have to capitalize on a pitch like that, and they did."
Rhoads eventually collected herself to force a groundout and a pop out after issuing her second walk of the day, but the damage had been done. With Rowe (21-4) keeping the Falcons' bats guessing, the Captains' three-run lead seemed secure.
As it turns out, it was. Messiah went down in succession during its sixth-inning at-bats, while CNU added an insurance run in the top of the seventh. After pulling Rhoads at the start of the stanza, senior Tori Hatt gave up a walk, a hit and was the recipient of another Falcons' defensive error. When she hurled a wild pitch with the bases loaded, the Captains' Megan Morris crossed the plate.
Needing an explosive offensive inning to keep its hopes alive, Rowe made sure there was none in store for Messiah.
The CNU senior gave up a one-out single to freshman Stephanie Schell, but finished the game with a fly out and a ground out.
Schell was the only Messiah hitter to register a base knock against Rowe, accounting for both of the Falcons' hits on the day. Weaver's club placed just six base runners aboard throughout the game, stranding a total of just four.
"In the last two years, (Rowe) is the best change-up pitcher we've seen," Weaver said. "It was tough for our girls to pick (the ball) up out of her hand, and she kept us off-balance all day. We've gone against kids with change-ups this year, but none were as good as she is."
Rhoads (28-4) suffered her first NCAA Tournament defeat in the loss, while CNU's consecutive dingers were the first back-to-back home runs allowed by Rhoads in her collegiate career.
When Hatt entered in the seventh, it signified the first pitcher other than Rhoads to throw for Messiah an NCAA Tournament game over the past two seasons. Hatt finished with a complete inning of work, giving up just one hit and one unearned run.
The win now advances CNU into Sunday's regional championship game at 4 p.m., while Messiah must do some work for a regional title: The Falcons will play in a re-match against Salisbury at 2 p.m. Sunday, while the winner of that game takes on Christopher Newport at 4 p.m.
Should CNU fall in that contest, a winner-take-all game would be played Monday at 2 p.m.
"We're deep enough in this that it's completely possible," Weaver said. "We have to win a double-header Sunday, and then win a game Monday. That's doable. It's a totally different story if you lose on the first day and have to keep playing double-headers to survive. That's hard. But for us to play two games Sunday and a single on Monday … it's doable."
Messiah will begin its quest in the play-back bracket Sunday against the Sea Gulls at 2 p.m. Live Stats are available for all regional games at Christopher Newport. For additional information, visit CNU''s official NCAA regional site.
