WORCESTER, Mass. – Paced by an offensive explosion in Game 1 and a stellar Game 2 outing from sophomore starting pitcher Danny Macchiarola, the Holy Cross baseball team earned a doubleheader sweep against Lafayette on Saturday, May 4. 

The Game 1 victory lifted the Crusaders (24-24, 13-10) to a berth in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament; Holy Cross has clinched the No. 3 seed in the 2024 playoffs. 

GAME ONE 
Holy Cross 13, Lafayette 8

STATS LEADERS: 
Holy Cross 
Toomey (3-for-4, double, triple, four RBI)
Cooney (3-for-4, triple, RBI, two runs scored)
Baillargeon (2-for-3, two runs scored)
Coughlin (2-for-4, two RBI, run scored)

Lafayette 
Cashman (3-for-4, home run, two runs scored)
Collela (2-for-4, double, two runs scored)
Zarillo (home run, two RBI)

THE DECISION: 
W: A. Bryant (4-3)
L: Pence (1-4)

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

• The Crusaders scraped across a run in the first inning after an error on the Lafayette second baseman. 
• Holy Cross then put up an eight-run second inning to build a dominating lead. Junior center fielder Connor Cooney tripled to right to push the first run of the frame across before freshman catcher Van Coughlin sent a single through the left side to score another.  A hit batter and a walk loaded up the bases for sophomore right fielder Jack Toomey, who cleared the bases with a double to left field. 
• Junior third baseman Brendan Jones later doubled to score another run before freshman left fielder John LaFleur followed with a two-run double to extend the lead to 9-0 by the end of the second. 
• Lafayette responded with a four-run top of the third, but the Crusaders tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the third after Toomey hit an RBI triple and then scored on passed ball to push the lead to 11-4. 
• The Leopards hit a solo homer in the top of the fourth. 
• Jones led off the bottom of the fourth with a walk, and moved to third after a pair of groundouts. Coughlin's second hit of the day pushed the Crusader lead to 12-5. 
• After a Lafayette run in the top of the fifth, freshman second baseman Alex Sandell drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth to make it a 13-6 game. 
• The Leopards managed to score two runs in the top of the seventh but were unable to rally further. 

GAME TWO 
Holy Cross 5, Lafayette 0

STATS LEADERS: 
Holy Cross
Macchiarola (W, 7.2 IP, no runs, two hits, no walks, 13 strikeouts)
Needham (1.1 IP, no runs, no hits, two strikeouts)
King (2-for-4, run scored)
Casserly (double, RBI)
Cooney (triple, two runs scored)

Lafayette (14-34, 8-15)
Milewski (1.0 IP, no runs, one walk)
Brenner (1-for-3)
Petrone (1-for-3, stolen base)

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

• In an early pitchers' duel, Holy Cross recorded just one hit – a first-inning triple by Toomey – through its first 4.2 innings. Meanwhile, Macchiarola allowed just one hit through his first 6.2 innings of work. 
• The Crusaders broke through on the scoreboard first in the fifth inning, when a walk by Cooney and a single by sophomore third baseman Cam Bryant put runners on the corners. Cooney was able to steal home to give Holy Cross a 1-0 lead.
• Holy Cross plated four insurance runs in the seventh. Junior shortstop Jimmy King led off the inning with a single through the left side before senior Patrick Casserly doubled him home. Freshman designated hitter Gianni Royer singled to score Casserly before Cooney's triple pushed across another run. An RBI groundout scored Cooney, making it a 5-0 lead for the Crusaders. 
• Holy Cross' staff – aided by a diving catch in center from Cooney – shut down the Leopards for the remainder of the day, preserving the shutout victory and doubleheader sweep. 

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• Holy Cross' 24 wins are their most in a season since also winning 24 games during the 2017 campaign. 
• Holy Cross will finish above .500 in Patriot League play for the first time since 2019, when the Crusaders went 15-10 in conference games. 
• Macchiarola's 13 strikeouts are a career high and are the most by a Crusader since Nate Chudy tallied 14 against Merrimack during the 2023 season. The combined 15 strikeouts by Macchiarola and Needham are the most for the Crusaders in a game this season. 
• Junior Chris Baillargeon now has 44 walks on the year, the most ever by a Crusader in a single season.
• Prior to the game, Holy Cross honored its six-member senior class: outfielder Jake McElroy, right-handed pitcher Payton Sutman, Casserly, right-handed pitcher Matt Remley, right-handed pitcher Alex Bryant and right-handed pitcher Nick Fletcher. 

DUE UP: 

• The Crusaders host Lehigh in their regular-season finale on Sunday, May 5. 
• First pitch of the doubleheader has been rescheduled for 12 p.m. due to inclement weather. 

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