ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. — A five-run seventh inning brought St. Mary's College of Maryland baseball within striking distance, but a late push from No. 16 Christopher Newport proved too much as the Seahawks dropped a 12-8 decision Saturday afternoon at the Hawk's Nest.

Christopher Newport (17-6) struck early, plating four runs in the second inning behind a two-run double from Stone Lasseigne and a two-run home run by Jake Benedict. The Captains added single runs in the third and fourth to build a 6-2 advantage.

St. Mary's (7-10) answered in the third, highlighted by Connor Wilkerson's RBI triple and a sacrifice fly from Rhett Fletcher to cut the deficit to 5-2. After the Captains extended their lead to 9-2 with a three-run sixth inning, the Seahawks began to chip away.

Caleb Bean delivered an RBI single in the sixth to make it 9-3 before St. Mary's erupted in the seventh. Fletcher sparked the rally with an RBI double, while DJ Sifford and Bean each drew bases-loaded walks to bring in runs. Eli Shafer capped the inning with a two-run single, trimming the margin to 10-8.

Christopher Newport responded with insurance in the ninth, capitalizing on a Seahawk error and a bases-loaded walk to push the lead back to four and secure the win.

Sifford paced the Seahawks offensively, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Shafer added two hits and two RBIs, while Wilkerson scored twice and drove in a run. Fletcher contributed a pair of RBIs as well.

On the mound, Jordan Bonhoff (1-4) took the loss, allowing six runs over four innings. Jackson Baird (3-2) earned the win for the Captains, striking out nine over six innings of work.

St. Mary's returns to action tomorrow with a rematch with Chrisopher Newport in Newport News, Virginia