CHARLESTON, S.C. — The Holy Cross baseball team rallied from an early 7-0 deficit but could not complete the comeback, falling by a score of 11-8 to The Citadel on Friday, March 10 at Riley Park.
STATS LEADERS
Holy Cross
Benton (three-run home run)
McElroy (2-for-3, three RBI)
Toomey (2-for-4, run scored)
Manning (three walks, two runs)
The Citadel
S. Reeves (3-for-5, three RBI)
Sykes (3-for-5, RBI)
Rollauer (2-for-5, home run)
THE DECISION
W: C. Reeves (4-0)
L: Fox (1-1)
S: Floyd (1)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Third baseman Thomas Rollauer led off the bottom of the first with a solo homer to left to give the Bulldogs (8-5) an early 1-0 lead. That lead grew to 7-0 by the third inning.
- Sophomore third baseman Connor Peek singled and freshman center fielder Jake Jaszcz was hit by a pitch to put two runners on in the fifth inning. Senior first baseman Chris Benton then clubbed a three-run homer to left to bring Holy Cross (4-10) within 7-3.
- Freshman right fielder Jack Toomey led off the sixth with a single to center and McElroy followed with a short bunt single to put a pair of runners on. The pair advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Peek, and Toomey scored on an RBI groundout. McElroy then came around to score on a double by sophomore designated hitter Sean Scanlon, bringing Holy Cross within 7-5.
- The Citadel put up two more runs in the bottom of the sixth on a two-run single to extend the lead to 9-5.
- Freshman catcher Lucas Manning drew a one-out walk and later zipped home to score on a short sacrifice fly by McElroy, making it a 9-6 game in the top of the seventh.
- The Bulldogs responded in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI single to regain a four-run lead and tacked on an additional run in the eighth to build an 11-6 advantage.
- Manning drew a one-out walk and junior Patrick Casserly doubled to put a pair of runners on in the ninth. WIth two outs, McElroy drove in both runners with a single, but Holy Cross could not rally any further.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- Benton has now hit three home runs this season, tying Toomey for the team lead.
DUE UP:
- Due to rain in the forecast, Holy Cross and The Citadel will no longer play on Sunday, March 12 as scheduled. Instead, the teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday, March 11.
- First pitch for the twinbill is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Riley Park.
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