COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Holy Cross baseball team came up short at South Carolina, falling by a score of 9-4 on Saturday, Feb. 15.

STATS LEADERS:

• David Kale (2-for-3, double, RBI)
• Ben Dellacono (1-for-4, home run, 2 RBI)
• Cam Meyer (1-for-5, home run)
• Austin Masel (1-for-4, triple)
• Riley Livingston (1-for-4, double)

W: Brett Kerry (1-0)
L: Luke Dawson (0-1)
S: Daniel Lloyd (1)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• South Carolina took an early lead for the second consecutive day, scoring five unearned runs after three first-inning errors by the Crusaders.
• Holy Cross got on the board immediately in the top of the second. Senior center fielder Austin Masel hit a triple and was brought home off an RBI groundout by junior right fielder David Kale. Senior Riley Livingston reached on a two-out double, and freshman left fielder Ben Dellacono hit a home run to cut the deficit to 5-3.
• A solo homer from Andrew Eyster gave the Gamecocks a 6-3 lead in the fifth inning. South Carolina tacked on three more runs to build a 9-3 advantage.
• Junior Cam Meyer led off the eighth inning with a solo homer. The Crusaders continued to threaten, loading up the bases with one out after senior shortstop Chris Rinaldi singled and Masel and Kale were issued back-to-back walks. Parker Coyne dealt back-to-back strikeouts, however, to prevent any more Holy Cross runs in the inning.
• The Crusaders loaded up the bases with two outs in the ninth after a trio of walks, but a groundout ended the inning.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• Both Dellacono and Meyer had their first career home runs in the contest.
• Lefty Luke Dawson made his first career start in his 31^st career appearance, allowing just one earned run in the outing.

DUE UP:

• Holy Cross will conclude its weekend series at South Carolina on Sunday, Feb. 16 at noon.
• Junior right-handed pitcher Liam Dvorak is slated to take the mound against South Carolina righty Brannon Jordan.