WORCESTER, Mass. — Freshman third baseman Nick Wang delivered a two-run, go-ahead base hit in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Holy Cross baseball team completed a 6-5 comeback victory over Navy on Saturday, April 9 at Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field.

STATS LEADERS:
Holy Cross:
Neff (W, 3.0 IP, one hit, no runs, six strikeouts)
Wang (2-for-5, double, two RBI)
Peek (1-for-1, RBI, two runs scored)
Cooney (2-for-4, run scored)

Navy:
Brenczewski (3-for-4, RBI, two runs scored)
Diaz (2-for-4, home run, two RBI)
Aguirre (1-for-3, double, two RBI)

W: Neff (2-0)
L: Kruer (1-1)
S: Escoto (3)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Navy took an early 2-0 lead off a two-run home run by Eduardo Diaz in the second inning.
• That advantage grew to 4-0 by the top of the fourth inning, with Ivan Aguirre hitting a two-run double to right-center.
• The Crusaders began to erase the deficit in the bottom of the fourth, with senior first baseman Nate Wolf and freshman right fielder Connor Cooney hitting back-to-back singles to lead off the frame. Sophomore second baseman Sam Kirkpatrick drove in a run with a one-out single, and an RBI groundout made it a 4-2 game.
• An RBI double in the sixth extended the Navy lead to 5-2 with no outs. Freshman right-hander Trevor Neff entered the game in relief, drawing a strikeout and a pair of groundouts.
• After Navy conceded a walk and an error in the bottom of the seventh, the Crusaders had two runners on with nobody out. After freshman left fielder Sean Scanlon was hit by a pitch to load up the bases, an RBI groundout scored freshman pinch runner Connor Peek, but Holy Cross could not rally further in the frame.
• In the eighth inning, the Crusaders put on a pair of runners with one out after Kirkpatrick was hit by a pitch and junior pinch hitter Jordan Petrushka drew a walk. Peek singled to center to score a run and bring Holy Cross within 5-4; freshman third baseman Brendan Jones then walked to load up the bases.
• Wang followed up by knocking a 3-2 pitch to left-center for a base hit, scoring a pair of runs and pushing the Crusaders ahead 6-5.
• Neff's three innings of relief resulted in just one hit and no runs for the Midshipmen. Senior right-hander Nick Escoto entered in the ninth for the save opportunity, and after Navy led off the frame with a single, Escoto struck out the next two batters and closed out the game with a lineout to center field.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• Neff has not conceded any earned runs in his last four appearances; he also struck out six batters on the night, a career high.
• Wang's double was his 18th of the season, moving him into a tie for the third most doubles in single-season program history.

DUE UP:

• The Crusaders host Navy for a doubleheader on Sunday, April 10.
• First pitch is set for 1 p.m. at Fitton Field.