WORCESTER, Mass. – The Holy Cross baseball team bounced back to shut out Navy in Game 2 of a Patriot League doubleheader on Monday, March 25 at Fitton Field.

GAME ONE:

Navy 6, Holy Cross 1 (seven innings)

Stats Leaders:

• Evan Blum (2-for-3, run scored)
• Peter Dudunakis (1-for-3)
• Kyle Johnson (1.0 IP, no hits, no runs)
• Matt Clarkin (1.0 IP, one hit, no runs)

W: Charlie Connolly (3-1)
L: Noah Luckenbaugh (1-1)

How It Happened:

• Navy opened the game up early, scoring a run in the first and posting a five-run second to take an early 6-0 lead. The Midshipmen capitalized off a Holy Cross error on a double-play opportunity in the second to load the bases and push the lead to 3-0; Liam Lowery then had a bases-clearing double to put the Mids up by a half-dozen.
• The Crusaders' lone run came in the bottom of the second. Sophomore first baseman Evan Blum had a single to lead off the frame, and worked his way around to home on a passed ball, a balk and another passed ball.
• Sophomore starter Noah Luckenbaugh settled down from that point, allowing just two more hits over three more innings of work. Sophomore righty Kyle Johnson and freshman left-handed pitcher Matt Clarkin combined to pitch two shutout innings in relief and prevent any more Navy runs from scoring.  

GAME TWO:

Navy 0, Holy Cross 4

Stats Leaders:

• Liam Dvorak (8.0 IP, no runs, seven hits, seven strikeouts, one walk)
• Eric Lopes (1.0 IP, no runs, no hits, two strikeouts)
• Austin Masel (1-for-3, double, RBI)
• Evan Blum (1-for-2, RBI)

W: Liam Dvorak (3-2)
L: Colin Taeschner (2-1)

How It Happened:

• Sophomore righty Liam Dvorak worked his way out of multiple jams early. With runners on the corners in the first, he earned a fly out from Christian Hodge; Dvorak had runners on second and third in the second, but he caught Evan Lowery on a swinging strikeout to end the inning. After Zach Biggers doubled with one out for the Mids, Dvorak had two straight strikeouts to leave Biggers stranded.
• Sophomore second baseman Peter Dudunakis was hit by a pitch to lead off the third inning, and he later advanced to second on a passed ball. He moved up to third on a fly out by freshman right fielder Ben Malgeri and then scored on an RBI single from Blum.
• That stood as the lone run of the game until the seventh, when the Crusaders tacked on two more. Dudunakis reached second on a throwing error to begin the inning, and was brought home on an RBI double from junior center fielder Austin Masel. Malgeri and junior catcher Riley Livingston each followed with a sacrifice bunt to move Masel home and give Holy Cross a 3-0 lead.
• Sophomore left fielder David Kale added on a fourth run for the Crusaders when he scored from first base on a throwing error.
• Sophomore right-hander Eric Lopes pitched a perfect ninth in relief, striking out Navy's final two batters to preserve the win. 

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• Holy Cross moves to 5-20 overall and 2-2 in the Patriot League; Navy is now 17-9 overall and 6-2 in the Patriot League.
• Dvorak's appearance was the longest of his career, besting his previous career high of 6.0 innings; he matched his career high of seven strikeouts.
• Dvorak has earned the win in three of Holy Cross' five victories this year.
• The Crusaders shut out Navy for the first time since a 3-0 win on April 13, 2013.
• The victory marks Holy Cross' first time shutting out an opponent this season and their first shutout since an 8-0 win at Lehigh on April 1, 2018.

DUE UP:

• Holy Cross heads to Harvard for a nonconference game on Tuesday, March 26. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
• Harvard has begun the 2019 season with a 10-5 record overall and is led by senior first baseman Patrick McColl, who has a .515 average – the best batting average in Division I. As a team, the Crimson are hitting .302, which ranks 22^nd in Division I.

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