WINCHESTER, Va. - Never say die.

The Shenandoah University baseball team staged not one, not two, but three comebacks Wednesday afternoon in the second game of its Dixie Conference doubleheader against No. 9 in the nation Christopher Newport and was rewarded with an 11-8 extra-inning victory.

This win gave the team a split of the doubleheader; CNU won game one 13-5.

Shenandoah (6-15-1, 2-6 Dixie) completed the 11 inning game two win when freshman Mike Christoforo (Arlington, Mass./Arlington) knocked the Hornets fourth home run of the contest over the left field fence to give SU the lead for the third and final time of the night.

Junior Mike Arvizo (Palmdale, Calif./Antelope Valley), who had given his club a 6-5 lead in the bottom of the eighth with a solo shot, tied the game at eight right in front of Christoforo's HR with a sacrifice fly to center. This was the second time in three innings that he had come to the plate with the bases loaded and one out. Unfortunately, his ninth inning fly ball to right was not deep enough to score Tyler Daniel (Richmond, Va./JR Tucker).

The late inning heroics made a winner out of junior JR Creamer (Lovettsville, Va./Loudoun Valley). Creamer came on the ninth inning and gave up one run on four hits while striking out three of the 13 batters he faced.

SU needed the extra two frames to get the win over CNU (19-3, 7-1 Dixie) because the Captains erased a 5-1 deficit with two runs each in the seventh, eighth and ninth.

After tying the game at 5-5 in the eighth, the Christopher Newport found itself three outs from a sweep on two occasions: after taking a 7-6 lead in the ninth then when it led 8-7 two innings later. 

Jeremy Elliott and Charlie Hardy both had three hits in the game for the visitors while Rodney Wooden (Baltimore, Md./Woodlawn) had two home runs among his three game two hits for Shenandoah.

SU had four home runs in the game two win and six for the day. CNU hit four its own, three in game one and one in the nightcap.

Creamer improves to 2-2 with the win. Jason Brown, who snuffed out the Hornets rally in the eighth, took the loss after allowing five runs (all earned) on four hits and two walks in 3.1 innings of work. He is now 3-2 on the year.

Game one was not nearly as close; CNU banged out 14 hits in a 13-5 victory. The Captains seized control of the game with five runs in the second inning and never led by less than four runs the rest of the game.

Elliott was 3 for 6 with two runs scored, Scotty George 3 for 5 with an RBI while Chris Phaup was 2 for 4 with 4 RBI on two home runs. He also gave his team a 1-0 lead in game two with a solo home run in the second inning of that game.

Eben Brower (5-0) earned the victory by scattering five hits and three runs while striking out 10 in seven innings of work.

Seth Foster (Alexandria, Va./Hayfield) took the loss for the hosts. He gave up nine runs on nine hits and three walks. He retired three batters via strikeout.

Complete box scores and plays by play for these two games can be found at http://www.su.edu/athletics/bb/2003/teamstat.htm

Shenandoah hosts No. 2 in the nation Methodist Saturday and Sunday in a pair of Dixie Conference games. First pitch both days is 1:00.