THE BASICS:

• Score: Holy Cross 9, Central Connecticut 4
• Records: Holy Cross (4-12); Central Connecticut (1-3)
• Pitching Decision: W: Phil Reese (1-3) | L: Casey Brown (0-1)
• Location: New Britain, Conn. (CCSU Baseball Field)
• The Lead: Holy Cross senior Evan Ocello (Camarillo, Calif.), junior Nick Lovullo (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) and freshman Cam O'Neill (Lynn, Mass.) all batted 3-for-5 to help lead the Crusaders to the 9-4 victory over Central Connecticut in non-conference baseball action on Tuesday afternoon at CCSU Baseball Field.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Central Connecticut opened the game's scoring in the bottom of the first with a run to gain the 1-0 lead.
• After a scoreless second, the Crusaders took the lead in the top of the third inning. Senior Jack St. Clair (Newton, Mass.) plated Lovullo on a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 1-1. O'Neill scored later in the frame on an RBI-single by sophomore Anthony Critelli (Holmdel, N.J.) to give Holy Cross the 2-1 edge. Critelli crossed home for the final run of the inning (3-1) on an RBI-double by sophomore Bill Schlich (Massapequa, N.Y.).
• Holy Cross made the score 4-1 in the top of the fourth on an RBI-single by Ocello to score Lovullo.
• The Crusaders added three insurance runs in the top of the fifth inning to gain the 7-1 lead. Critelli cashed in O'Neill for the first run of the inning on an RBI-double and scored during the next at bat on an RBI-double by Schlich. Holy Cross junior Bobby Indeglia (North Kingstown, R.I.) drove in Schlich on a sacrifice fly to give the Crusaders the six-run lead.
• The Blue Devils cut into the deficit with two runs in the bottom of the sixth to make the score 7-3. The Crusaders, however, added two more scores in the top of the eighth to go back up by six runs (9-3). O'Neill drove in Lovullo for the first run of the frame on an RBI-single, as St. Clair scored on a sacrifice fly by Critelli.
• Central Connecticut scored one run in the bottom of the eighth to make the score its final, 9-4.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Holy Cross sophomore righty Phil Reese (Frederick, Va.) earned the victory (1-3), as he tossed 5.2 innings and allowed three runs on seven hits, while striking out three.
• Central Connecticut starter Casey Brown was charged with the loss (0-1), as he surrendered six runs on 10 hits in four innings pitched.
• The Crusaders held the 16-11 advantage in total hits and the 7-2 edge in extra-base hits.
• Lovullo posted two doubles and scored three runs in the contest, while Ocello stole a pair of bases. O'Neill also scored twice in the contest.
• Critelli batted 2-for-3 with two runs and three RBIs, while Schlich and junior Connor Perry (Haverhill, Mass.) both went 2-for-5. Schlich recorded two doubles in the contest as well.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• Ocello's two stolen bases tie him for first all-time in program history with 53 as a Crusader. He also extended his hitting streak to 13 games.
• O'Neill increased his batting average to a team-high .410 (25-of-61).

UP NEXT:

• Holy Cross returns to action on Saturday and Sunday, March 14-15, when it travels to St. John's for a three-game series. A 12:00 p.m. doubleheader is scheduled for Saturday, while a 1:00 p.m. contest will wrap up the series on Sunday.

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