Salisbury University

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - The Salisbury University softball program swept/falls against/splits with Christopher Newport University Sunday afternoon at Captains Field in the 2026 regular season finale. The Sea Gulls (24-14) fell in game one 5-4, before soaring past the Captains (27-11) 14-7 in game two.

In the 5-4 game one loss, Karlie Wolfe got the scoring going with a solo home run to right field in the top of the first inning. The game remained scoreless for both sides until the bottom of the fifth inning, when CNU rattled off four runs to take a commanding 4-1 lead.  

The Sea Gulls stranded two runners in the top of the sixth, before the Captains added another in the bottom of the inning. The Captains led 5-1 heading into the final frame of action. Wolfe struck again in the top of the seventh, with a three-run home run that scored McKenna Horner and Sam Flowers, but the comeback would fall short.

Game One Notes

• Isabella Purdy went five innings in the circle with three strikeouts and allowed only one earned run.
• Wolfe finished with two hits and four RBIs on two home runs.
• Flowers also posted a two-hit game.
• Michalea Troy and Alayna Gigliotti also earned hits for Salisbury.
• The Sea Gulls left six on base, while the Captains stranded five. SU also committed three errors, and CNU only tallied one.

In the 14-7 game two win, Flowers scored on an error after leading the game off with a walk. Wolfe also tallied a hit in the inning and scored on an RBI single from Audrey March for SU to earn an early 2-0 advantage.

The Sea Gulls added to the lead in the second inning, with Courtney Johnson earning a two-out RBI single that scored Brooklyn Richardson. Wolfe earned another RBI off a single that once again scored Flowers, who walked earlier in the inning. The Captains responded with three runs in the bottom of the second to bring the game to 4-3 in favor of SU through two full innings.

After a scoreless frame in the third, CNU tied the game in the bottom of the fourth. In the top of the fifth, Wolfe blasted her third home run of the day to centerfield to put the Sea Gulls back in front.
Richardson added a sacrifice fly RBI before Erin Doherty also added an RBI single. SU tallied another run on an error, pushing Salisbury out front 8-4 heading into the bottom of the fifth.

Richardson added an RBI off a walk in the sixth, pushing the SU lead to 9-4. Wolfe was not done just yet, adding her second three-run home run of the day in the seventh inning, pushing the Sea Gulls ahead 12-4. SU was able to add two more in the inning and secure a 14-7 victory. 

Game Two Notes

• Madison McGinnis earned the win in the circle for her ninth win of the year. She tallied just over five innings of work with four strikeouts.
• Wolfe finished with four hits, including two home runs, and five RBIs. She totaled six hits, nine RBIs, and four home runs on the day.
• Gigliotti and March tallied two-hit games. Madison Lepeonka, Flowers, Johnson, Troy, Lexie Delcollo, and Doherty also added hits for SU.
• Salisbury out-hit CNU 14-9 and made three fewer errors than the Captains.

The Sea Gulls wrap up the 2026 regular season 24-14 and turn their attention to the 2026 Coast-to-Coast Tournament Championship, which will be held on Friday, May 8th at Captains Park on the campus of Christopher Newport University, with game one between the Sea Gulls and the University of Mary Washington set for 2 p.m. The winner will advance to the title game against CNU at 4:30 p.m. 

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Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with affiliate membership in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (football, men's & women's swimming), Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse), State University of New York Athletic Conference (field hockey), and Colonial Women's Golf Conference (women's golf). With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the nation's most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have won a combined 23 team national championships, 24 individual national championships, and 210 conference championships, and have produced 54 Academic All-Americans.

To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit SUSeaGulls.com or follow @SUSeaGulls on social media.