WORCESTER, Mass. – Trailing 6-3 heading into the bottom of the sixth in a win and or go home situation, the No. 1 seeded Holy Cross baseball team responded by scoring 16 runs over their final three innings to upend No. 4 seeded Lehigh 19-9 Sunday evening in game three of the 2025 Patriot League Tournament semifinal series on Fitton Field.
The win advances the regular-season champion Crusaders (29-23) to the Patriot League Tournament championship series for the first time since 2017. They will host six-time defending conference champion No. 3 seeded Army West Point (25-23) in a best-of-three series beginning on Saturday, May 17 at 1 p.m. Lehigh's (24-26) season ends with the setback.
Lehigh got two quick outs in the sixth until senior second baseman
Brendan Jones tied the game at 6-6 with an RBI single to center field. The team captain scampered home on a passed ball for the go-ahead run which put the Crusaders on top for good. The Mountain Hawks scrapped back at 9-8 putting the tying run on third base with two outs in the top of the seventh. Freshman pitcher
Pedro Leon entered the game in relief and punched out Owen Walewander looking on a nasty breaking ball. 10 runs over the final two innings capped off the win. Holy Cross outscored Lehigh 101-to-43 this season across eight games.
Sophomore
Gianni Royer and senior
Connor Peek had massive series for Holy Cross hitting .462 each. Royer drove in four with a double, a triple, two walks and a steal while his reached base streak was extended to 17 games. Peek knocked in five with a double, two walks and two steals. Patriot League Player of the Year, junior right fielder
CJ Egrie's reached base streak also moved to 17 games. Sophomore
John LaFleur homered for the fourth time over the last six games late in the 19-9 drubbing.
As a team, Holy Cross broke the program's single-season team runs scored mark when senior shortstop
Jimmy King scored in the bottom of the first passing the old record of 367 set by the 2010 squad.
GAME TWO: LEHIGH 7, HOLY CROSS 2
STARTING ON THE MOUND:
- Noah Gyauch-Quirk: 0.0 innings pitched, no pitches thrown.
- Junior Jaden Wywoda: (L, 9-2), 5.2 innings pitched, seven hits allowed, five runs – three earned, one walk, six strikeouts.
OUT OF THE BULLPEN:
- Liam O'Hearen: (W, 5-6): 5.2 innings pitched, two hits allowed, zero earned runs, one walk, nine strikeouts.
STEPPING TO THE PLATE:
- Aidan Quinn: 3-for-5, two runs scored.
- Owen Walewander: 2-for-3, home run, two RBI, two runs scored, walk.
- Gianni Royer: 2-for-4, double, RBI.
- John LaFleur: 2-for-4.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- King lofted a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first to right field opening up the scoring making it 1-0 Crusaders. With two outs, Royer singled up the middle scratching another run across the plate for the 2-0 edge after one.
- Lehigh hit a homer in the top of the second trimming the deficit to 2-1.
- Holy Cross put runners at second and third with two outs, but could not cross the plate in the third.
- Lehigh loaded the bases in the top of the sixth and took the lead 3-2 on a fielder's choice throwing error. A single scored another run upping the score to 4-2. A flared RBI single by the guests with two down increased the edge to 5-2.
- In the bottom of the seventh, Holy Cross put the first two batters on base. Two strikeouts and a double steal of second and third put runners in scoring position with two away. Lehigh got a groundout to stay ahead 5-2.
- Two insurance runs late capped off the victory for the guests.
GAME THREE: HOLY CROSS 19, LEHIGH 9
STARTING ON THE MOUND:
- Thomas Skrobe: (ND), 1.1 innings pitched, three hits allowed, two earned runs, three walks, zero strikeouts.
- David Andolina: (ND), 1.0 innings pitched, one hit allowed, three earned runs, three walks, three strikeouts.
OUT OF THE BULLPEN:
- Senior Luke LeMond (W, 1-1): 2.2 innings pitched, two hits allowed, two earned runs, three walks, six strikeouts.
- Pedro Leon: (S, 3), 2.1 innings pitched, two hits allowed, one run – zero earned, five strikeouts.
- Marcus Danchision (L, 5-3): 0.0 innings pitched, two hits allowed, four runs – three earned, two walks, zero strikeouts.
STEPPING TO THE PLATE:
- Connor Peek: 4-for-6, double, three RBI, two runs scored.
- Jimmy King: 3-for-6, two doubles, triple, two RBI, three runs scored, stolen base.
- John LaFleur: 2-for-6, home run, four RBI, two runs scored.
- CJ Egrie: 2-for-4, two RBI, three runs scored, three walks.
- Gianni Royer: 2-for-5, two RBI, run scored, walk.
- Sophomore Colin Brown: 2-for-5, three runs scored, walk.
- Brendan Jones: 1-for-3, two RBI, three runs scored, three walks.
- Dom Patrizzi: 1-for-3, double, two RBI, run scored, two walks.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- With two down in the bottom of the first, King ripped a two RBI triple down the left field line for the 2-0 Crusader lead. King ended up scoring on a run down play for the 3-0 edge.
- Lehigh got two runs back in the top of the second via a two-run homer. They put runners on first and second with one out as the Crusaders went to the bullpen. Freshman southpaw Derek Volz got out of trouble as Holy Cross still led.
- The Mountain Hawks took a 4-3 lead in the top of the fourth smacking a 2-2 count double into the left centerfield gap. A dropped fly ball on the infield scored another run making it 5-3. They led 6-3 after putting up a four spot in the frame.
- Holy Cross loaded the bases in the fifth, but left them packed as they still trailed 6-3.
- Holy Cross dropped a six spot in the sixth inning. Two out hitting from Peek, a two RBI opposite field double put the Crusaders down 6-5. Jones singled to center to tie the game and came around the score on a passed ball for the lead. LaFleur then flared an opposite field single to left field to put the hosts ahead 9-6.
- Lehigh got two back in seventh until Leon came in and dropped in a curve for a called third strike stranding a runner in scoring position.
- Holy Cross scored six more runs in the bottom of the seventh with Peek starting the rally with his fourth hit of the game an RBI single, Egrie used his speed for a bunt single plating another run and Royer expanded the margin to 15-8 with a two-RBI single.
- LaFleur flashed his light tower power in the eighth drilling first pitch two-run shot off the Fitton Field (Football) scoreboard in right field.
POSTGAME THOUGHTS:
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