CHARLESTON, S.C. – Charleston Southern outfielder Nick Berry and designated hitter Andrew Widell both had three hits apiece to help lead the Buccaneers to a 12-7 triumph over Holy Cross in non-conference baseball action on Monday afternoon at CSU Ballpark. With the win, Charleston Southern improves to 10-3 on the season, while the Crusaders fall to 3-5 overall. The Buccaneers claimed the series win, as they won three out of the four contests played this past weekend.
After a scoreless first inning by Holy Cross, Charleston Southern scored three runs in the bottom of the frame to claim the 3-0 lead. The Crusaders answered with a trio of runs in the top of the second to knot the score at 3-3. Holy Cross junior designated hitter Jack St. Clair (Newton, Mass.) scored the first run for the Crusaders on an RBI-double by sophomore catcher Connor Perry (Haverhill, Mass.). Perry scored two batters later on a fielding error by Charleston Southern, while freshman first baseman Bill Schlich (Massapequa, N.Y.) scored the third run of the frame on a wild pitch to tie the game.
The Buccaneers, however, countered with three runs in the bottom of the third inning to grab the 6-3 lead. They also added another score in the bottom of the fourth to increase their margin to four runs (7-3). Holy Cross pushed across a run in the top of the sixth, with an RBI-single by Schlich to score St. Clair, but Charleston Southern put four runs up on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the frame to give it the 11-4 lead.
Holy Cross cut the deficit to 11-5 in the top of the seventh, as junior outfielder Evan Ocello (Camarillo, Calif.) plated sophomore shortstop Nick Lovullo (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) on an RBI-single. The Buccaneers scored their final run of the game in the bottom of the seventh to go on top 12-5.
The Crusaders would add one run in the eighth inning on an RBI-groundout by Lovullo to plate freshman third baseman Anthony Critelli (Holmdel, N.J.) and make the score 12-6. Holy Cross scored its final run of the contest (12-7) in the top of the ninth inning, as Ocello belted his first home run of the season over the left-field wall.
Charleston Southern pitcher Denis Buckley picked up his first win of the season (1-0) with 3.1 scoreless innings pitched for the Buccaneers. Holy Cross freshman righty Justin Finan (Barrington, R.I.) was charged with the loss (0-1), as he allowed four runs (one earned) on six hits over two innings pitched.
Holy Cross had five batters with multiple hits in the contest with Lovullo and Perry leading the way with three hits each. St. Clair scored a pair of runs and Ocello had two RBIs. Charleston Southern held the 18-14 advantage in the hitting department.
Holy Cross returns to action on Wednesday, March 5, as it will travel to Savannah State for a 5:00 p.m. contest.
