CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Holy Cross baseball team began the 2025 NCAA Baseball Tournament with a 4-0 setback to No. 1 nationally-ranked North Carolina Friday afternoon at Boshamer Stadium.

The defeat sends the Crusaders to 31-26 on the year and they await the loser of the Oklahoma/Nebraska game in an elimination game on Saturday, May 31 at noon. The Tar Heels move to 49-12 with the victory.

Seniors Jimmy King and Sean Scanlon set the single-season program games started record with their 57th start of the campaign.

STARTING ON THE MOUND:

• Jake Knapp (W, 13-0), 8.1 innings pitched, four hits allowed, zero earned runs, three walks, seven strikeouts.
• Junior Danny Macchiarola (L, 9-5), 4.1 innings pitched, seven hits allowed, four earned runs, two walks, one strikeout

OUT OF THE BULLPEN:

• Walker McDuffie: 0.2 innings pitched, zero hits allowed, zero earned runs, zero walks, one strikeout.
• Freshman Derek Volz: 3.2 innings pitched, zero hits allowed, zero earned runs, three walks, three strikeouts.

STEPPING TO THE PLATE:

• Sophomore John LaFleur: 1-for-3, walk.
• Sophomore Colin Brown: 1-for-3.
• Senior Chris Baillargeon: 1-for-4.
• Jimmy King: 1-for-4.
• Gavin Gallaher: 2-for-2, RBI, run scored, two walks.
• Tyson Bass: 1-for-3, double, RBI, run scored, walk.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Junior CJ Egrie worked a leadoff walk on nine pitches. Knapp settled down and struck out the next three batters to get out of the top of the first.
• King singled just beyond third base for the first hit of a contest then was doubled off first via a line drive out in the top of the second.
• The Tar Heels dropped a three spot in the bottom of the second getting an RBI single, double, and single to grab the lead.
• UNC scored again in the fifth to add on to their edge making it 4-0.
• Jones had a leadoff free pass and Brown singled up the middle putting runners at first and second with no outs in the sixth. Egrie sacrificed them over into scoring position. A one out walk to LaFleur loaded the base, however Knapp got a fly out and strikeout to escape the frame.
• King made a heads up play in the bottom of the eighth after Gallaher stole second, but he over slid the bag and King put a second tag on him for the out.

HOLY CROSS PRESS CONFERENCE:



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