LEXINGTON, Va. – Junior right-handed pitcher
Nate Chudy and senior right-hander
Nick Escoto combined for a one-hitter as the Holy Cross baseball team defeated VMI, 5-1, on Wednesday, March 9 at Gray-Minor Stadium.
STATS LEADERS:
Holy Cross:
Chudy (4.0 IP, no hits, two walks, four strikeouts)
Escoto (5.0 IP, one hit, one run, no walks, four strikeouts)
Jones (2-for-5, RBI, run scored, stolen base)
Peek (2-for-5, RBI, stolen base)
VMI:
Cook (1-for-2, home run)
W: Chudy (1-0)
L: Wright (0-1)
S: Escoto (2)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- After the Crusaders loaded up the bases with one out in the third, a sacrifice fly by senior catcher Angelo D'Acunto scored sophomore shortstop Sam Kirkpatrick for a 1-0 lead.
- In his first start of the season, Chudy held the Keydets without a hit through four innings.
- Freshman third baseman Nick Wang walked with one out in the fifth, then advanced to second on a wild pitch. He later scored on an RBI single by Cooney to make it a 2-0 game.
- The Crusaders no-hit VMI through 6.2 innings before Brett Cook homered with two out in the bottom of the seventh to cut the Holy Cross lead in half.
- Escoto settled after the home run – his only hit allowed on the day – drawing a groundout to end the inning and throwing a 1-2-3 eighth inning.
- Freshman designated hitter Sean Scanlon reached on an error in the top of the ninth, and later scored on a wild pitch to tack on an insurance run for the Crusaders. Freshman left fielder Connor Cooney later scored on a single by freshman first baseman Brendan Jones, and Jones came around to score after an infield single by freshman second baseman Connor Peek, building a four-run cushion for the Crusaders.
- Escoto posted another 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the ninth, with a strikeout and pair of groundouts, to close out the victory for Holy Cross.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- Escoto's five innings pitched were a career high; his four strikeouts also bested his previous single-game career best of three.
DUE UP:
- Holy Cross heads to face Richmond in a four-game series beginning on Thursday, March 10.
- First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
