BOSTON – The Holy Cross baseball team's ninth-inning rally fell short at Harvard, with the Crusaders dropping a 7-6 result on Tuesday, March 26.

STATS LEADERS:

• David Kale (3-for-5, RBI)
• Alex Gionis (2-for-3, RBI)
• C.J. McKennitt (six strikeouts)
• Kyle Johnson (1.0 IP, no hits)

W: Enzo Stefanoni (2-1)
L: C.J. McKennitt (0-4)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Crusaders got a run on the board early after sophomore center fielder David Kale led off the game with a single. Junior second baseman Riley Livingston moved him up with a sacrifice bunt, and Kale later advanced on a groundout and error to score the first run of the game.
• Freshman third baseman Angelo D'Acunto led off the second inning with a walk and later scored on an RBI single from Kale to make it a 2-0 game.
• In the bottom of the second, Harvard knotted up the score at 2-2, and added two more runs in the fourth to take a 4-2 lead.
• The Crusaders cut back within a run in the top of the fifth. With a bases-loaded opportunity, senior third baseman Alex Gionis hit an RBI single to left field to score sophomore second baseman Peter Dudunakis; Masel attempted to score from second, but he was thrown out at the plate.
• Harvard added three runs to its lead in the bottom of the seventh.
• Gionis reached first on a one-out bunt in the eighth and later scored after a pair of wild pitches to bring Holy Cross within 7-4.
• The Crusaders loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the ninth; with two outs, sophomore catcher Zach Buck reached on an error to score sophomore first baseman Evan Blum and Masel. However, the late push fell short with a swinging strikeout to end the inning.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• Holy Cross moves to 5-21 overall while Harvard is now 11-5 overall.
• Kale had a career high with three hits on the day, while freshman righty C.J. McKennitt had a career-high six strikeouts in his outing.

DUE UP:

• The Crusaders host Lehigh in Patriot League action on Saturday, March 30 and Sunday, March 31 at Fitton Field.
• First pitch for Saturday's doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m., followed by a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m.

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