WORCESTER, Mass. — Freshman right fielder Jack Toomey delivered a walkoff single to secure a Game 1 win for the Holy Cross baseball team as the Crusaders split a doubleheader against Army West Point on Friday, March 24 at Fitton Field in the teams' first day of Patriot League play. 

The Holy Cross pitching staff was stellar all day, totaling 23 strikeouts and allowing just four total runs across the two contests while only conceding three total walks.

GAME ONE 
Holy Cross 4, Army 3 

STATS LEADERS: 
Holy Cross (7-15, 1-1): 
Toomey (2-for-3, double, walk, RBI)
Cooney (2-for-3, walk, run scored)
Walters (2.0 IP, no hits, four strikeouts)

Army (9-11, 1-1): 
Copeland (2-for-3, double)
Ruta (double)

THE DECISION: 
W: McOsker (2-0)
L: Buecker (1-2)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Army scored on a wild pitch in the second inning and tacked on another run in the third to take an early 2-0 lead. 
• Freshman second baseman CJ Egrie was hit by a pitch and Toomey doubled to put runners on second and third with nobody out in the bottom of the fourth. A bunt RBI single by freshman center fielder Jake Jaszcz got a run back for Holy Cross, and sophomore shortstop Brendan Jones had a sac fly to tie things up at 2-2. The Crusaders then took the lead when Jaszcz scored on a throwing error.
• Sophomore reliever Augie Walters threw two perfect innings of relief and senior reliever Jake McOsker had a 1-2-3 sixth to keep the Black Knights off the board. However, Army scraped across a run in the top of the seventh with three straight singles, evening the score at 3-3. 
• Freshman catcher Lucas Manning walked to lead off the bottom of the seventh, and sophomore left fielder Connor Cooney singled to put a pair of runners on. Cooney avoided a double play and was safe at second base, and later came around to score when Toomey hit a single to right. 

GAME TWO
Army 1, Holy Cross 0

STATS LEADERS: 
Holy Cross: 
Macchiarola (5.0 IP, one run, three hits, eight strikeouts)
LeMond (1.0 IP, three strikeouts)
Talbot (3.0 IP, no runs, two hits, five strikeouts)
McElroy (2-for-3, walk)

Army: 
Ronnebaum (7.0 IP, no runs, three hits, nine strikeouts)
Dubrule (3-for-4, double, RBI)

THE DECISION: 
W: Ronnebaum (2-0)
L: Macchiarola (0-3)
S: Melampy (2)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The entire contest was a pitchers' duel, with Army's Matthew Ronnebaum and Holy Cross' Danny Macchiarola trading stellar starts.
• In the fourth inning, Army third baseman Sam Ruta was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame and advanced on a groundout. He then came around to score on a single to center by shortstop Kevin Dubrule for the lone run of the game. 
• In the top of the sixth, the Black Knights loaded up the bases with just one out, but sophomore reliever Luke LeMond secured back-to-back strikeouts to end the threat. 
• Senior righty Ben Talbot — who had a career-best five strikeouts on the day — stranded Dubrule at second base after a one-out double in the eighth inning with back-to-back called strikeouts. 
• Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Jaszcz reached first on a passed ball. In the next at bat, junior third baseman Jake McElroy hit a sharp drive down the right-field line that was called foul; Army reliever Patrick Melampy would go on to strike out McElroy. Jaszcz advanced to second on a wild pitch, but Melampy closed out the game with another strikeout to secure the shutout win for the Black Knights. 

DUE UP: 

• Holy Cross is scheduled to play a doubleheader against Army on Sunday, March 26, at 1 p.m. 

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