THE BASICS:

Score: Army West Point 7, Holy Cross 6
Records: Holy Cross (3-16, 0-1 PL); Army West Point (22-9, 4-0 PL)  
Pitching Decision: W: Renee Poirier (7-4) | L: Katy Watson (0-9) 
Date: April 1, 2017  
Time: 3:00 p.m.  
Location: West Point, N.Y. 
The Lead: The Holy Cross softball team held the lead through four innings, but Army West Point scored six unanswered runs, as the Crusaders were unable to overcome the deficit and were edged, 7-6, by the Black Knights in their Patriot League opener on the road on Saturday.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Holy Cross was off to a strong 1-0 start in the top of the opening inning after sophomore center fielder Jaclyn Brewster walked, sophomore shortstop Taylor Wahler singled up the right side and senior second baseman Emily Krisanda reached on a fielder's choice bunt to load the bases. Junior first baseman Taylor Moss brought in the run on a fielder's choice play to give the Crusaders their early lead.
• The Black Knights responded in the bottom of the first inning, tying the game at 1-1 on a sacrifice fly hit to center field by Kennedy Harrison.
• Holy Cross answered right away to regain the lead with a five-run surge in the top of the second inning. With one out and the bases loaded, Brewster doubled to left center field, as freshman designated player Sydney Burr and junior left fielder Gabby Muniz each crossed home plate to score the go-ahead runs. Krisanda then reached second base on a fielding error in right field, as senior right fielder Kylee Malouf and Brewster both scored, giving Holy Cross a 5-1 advantage. Junior third baseman Mandy McCarthy then plated Krisanda on a RBI single hit through the left side to a make it a 6-1 game.
• However, Army tallied the final six runs during the bottom of the following three innings to secure the one-run win. The Black Knights scored in the second inning on an infield error, before Emily Gray brought in the next two runs in the third inning on a single to center field. Army then rallied for three runs using four hits in the sixth inning to take a 7-6 lead.
• Holy Cross was unable to plate the tying run, as the Crusaders suffered the one-run loss.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Holy Cross was led by Wahler at the plate, who batted .500 (2-for-4). Brewster notched two RBIs on her double and scored two runs.
• Both teams had six hits.
• Holy Cross left five runners on base, while the Black Knights left six.
• Junior pitcher Katy Watson pitched 3.1 innings for the Crusaders, allowing three earned runs and took the loss.
• Renee Poirier pitched 5.1 innings and allowed no earned runs to pick up the win for Army West Point.

UP NEXT:

• The Crusaders return to action for a doubleheader at Army West Point tomorrow starting at 12:00 p.m.

KEEP CONNECTED:

• Follow the Crusaders on Twitter @HCrossSoftballand on Facebook. You can also get the latest news and results on the team sent directly to your e-mail. To sign up for e-mail alerts go here.