WORCESTER, Mass. — The Holy Cross baseball team secured two key Patriot League victories with a doubleheader sweep over Bucknell on Monday, April 3 at Fitton Field.
After securing the win in the opening contest, the Crusaders (9-20, 3-5 Patriot League) jumped out to a 10-0 lead before a furious comeback attempt by the Bison (13-14, 7-5 Patriot League). However, Holy Cross was able to hang on and complete the sweep.
Making his first collegiate starts at second base, freshman
Oliver Brown totaled five hits between the two games with two runs, three RBI and two doubles. Holy Cross' offense was firing on all cylinders, combining for 19 runs and 20 hits.
GAME ONE
Holy Cross 7, Bucknell 4
STATS LEADERS:
Holy Cross:
Brown (2-for-4, two doubles, three RBI)
McElroy (2-for-3, two RBI)
Benton (home run)
Fox (W, 6.0 IP, one earned run, five hits)
Bucknell:
Voytovich (2-for-4, RBI)
Kender (double)
THE DECISION:
W: Fox (2-2)
L: O'Neill (2-3)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Sophomore left fielder Connor Cooney scored a run in the first inning as another baserunner was caught stealing, giving the Crusaders a 1-0 advantage.
- Freshman second baseman Oliver Brown doubled down the left-field line to score freshman center fielder CJ Egrie with two outs in the second, making it a 2-0 game.
- Sophomore first baseman Sean Scanlon walked and freshman right fielder Jack Toomey was hit by a pitch with two outs in the third. Junior third baseman Jake McElroy then hit a two-run single to center, scoring both runners and extending the Holy Cross lead to 4-0.
- Senior Chris Benton had a pinch-hit solo home run in the fourth inning, making it a 5-0 game.
- Holy Cross senior starting pitcher Luke Fox allowed just two baserunners on a hit batsman and a single through the first four innings of play. The Bison managed to score three runs in the top of the fifth after an RBI single and back-to-back errors.
- The Crusaders tacked on a couple of insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run double by Brown.
- Bucknell scored another run in the top of the seventh with a two-out single, but could rally no further.
GAME TWO:
Holy Cross 12, Bucknell 8
STATS LEADERS:
Holy Cross:
Manning (3-for-4, home run, two RBI, three runs scored, walk)
Brown (3-for-4, two runs scored)
Cooney (3-for-5, two RBI, two runs scored)
Egrie (1-for-3, three RBI)
DiLauro (W, 4.0 IP, no runs, three hits, three strikeouts)
Bucknell:
Adamo (3-for-4, home run, three RBI)
Sherwin (triple, two RBI)
Corson (home run, two RBI)
THE DECISION:
W: DiLauro (1-2)
L: Magovern (1-2)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Cooney singled to lead off the bottom of the first inning, and in the next at bat, freshman catcher Lucas Manning launched a two-run homer to give the Crusaders an early 2-0 lead. After two more runners reached base on a walk by Scanlon and a single by Egrie, sophomore shortstop Brendan Jones drove in another run with a single through the right side to extend the Holy Cross lead to 3-0.
- After McElroy hit a triple in the third inning, a sac fly by Egrie added another run for the Crusaders.
- Holy Cross scored three more runs in the fifth to jump ahead 7-0. In the sixth inning, Brown hit a leadoff single and came around to score after an RBI single up the middle by Cooney. Manning followed with a single, and a sac fly by Scanlon pushed the lead to 9-0. After Manning stole second, he would come around to score on a base hit by Toomey.
- Bucknell began to chip away at the 10-0 Holy Cross advantage, plating five runs in the top of the seventh after an RBI single, two-run triple and two-run homer.
- Cooney gave Holy Cross a run back in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI single, but the Bison again answered in the eighth, hitting a three-run homer to cut within 11-8.
- A sac fly by Egrie gave Holy Cross an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- Manning's home run was the first of his career.
- Manning is a perfect 7-for-7 on stolen bases this year.
- McElroy has reached base in 17 consecutive contests.
DUE UP:
- Holy Cross has canceled its contest against Brown, originally scheduled for Tuesday, April 4.
- The Crusaders will return to action on Wednesday, April 5 with a home contest slated against Merrimack.
- First pitch against the Warriors is set for 5 p.m.
FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS
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Twitter - @HCrossBaseball | @goholycross
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