STATESBORO, Ga. – Georgia Southern shortstop Dalton Busby went 2-for-3 with one run and a pair of RBIs to help lead the Eagles to a 3-1 victory over Holy Cross in non-conference baseball action on Friday evening at J.I. Clements Stadium. With the win, Georgia Southern improves to 11-2 overall, while the Crusaders fall to 3-6 on the season.
Holy Cross scored its only run of the contest in the top of the first inning. Crusader sophomore shortstop Nick Lovullo (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) led off the inning with a single. Junior second baseman Jack St. Clair (Newton, Mass.) pushed Lovullo over to third on a double down the left field line during the next at bat. Two batters later, senior outfielder Brandon Cipolla (Abington, Mass.) plated Lovullo on a sacrifice fly to give the Crusaders the 1-0 lead.
The Eagles knotted the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the third, as Busby scored the lone run on a balk. Georgia Southern tacked on a pair of scores in the bottom half of the fourth inning on a two-RBI base knock by Busby to give the Eagles the 3-1 lead.
Holy Cross tried to mount a comeback in the top of the ninth inning. Sophomore catcher Connor Perry (Haverhill, Mass.) earned a leadoff walk to begin the frame and moved over to third on a double by freshman third baseman Anthony Critelli (Holmdel, N.J.) to put the pair in scoring position. Georgia Southern closer Matt McCall, however, was able to retire the next three Crusaders in order to preserve the 3-1 win for the Eagles.
Georgia Southern starter Sam Howard picked up the win (3-1), as he pitched seven innings and allowed one run on six hits, while striking out eight batters. McCall earned his third save of the season with two scoreless innings out of the bullpen and four punchouts.
Holy Cross senior pitcher Nate Walker (San Diego, Calif.) was charged with the loss (0-2), as he allowed three runs on four hits over 3.2 innings of work. The Holy Cross bullpen of junior Ryan Filipowicz (Yardley, Pa.), and freshmen George Capen (Gainesville, Va.) and Zach Fox (Los Gatos, Calif.) combined to throw 4.1 scoreless innings of relief, allowing only one base hit.
St. Clair led the Crusaders offensively, as he batted 3-for-4 with a trio of doubles. Holy Cross held the 8-5 edge in the hitting department, but had two errors in the contest compared to none for the Eagles.
The Crusaders continue their series with Georgia Southern on Saturday, March 8, with a doubleheaders beginning at 1:30 p.m.
