SEATTLE – The Holy Cross baseball team continued its hot hitting in the late innings during a 7-2 victory against Seattle Sunday afternoon at Bannerwood Park.
Down 2-1 in the eighth, the Crusaders (3-7) took the lead scoring a pair and then added four runs in the top of the ninth as freshman shortstop
Owen Stelzer belted his first collegiate homer. Junior catcher
Van Coughlin tacked on a pair of RBI following Stelzer's tater giving him a Patriot League leading 14 on the season. Holy Cross has scored 21 of their 76 (27.6 percent) of their runs during the ninth inning in 2026.
Junior center fielder
Gianni Royer posted his second consecutive three hit outing and third of the campaign going 3-for-4 with a double, three runs scored and a walk against Seattle (2-9).
STARTING ON THE MOUND:
- Junior Thomas Skrobe (ND), 1.0 innings pitched, one hit allowed, one run allowed, zero walks, one strikeout
- Micah Hagler (ND), 6.0 innings pitched, seven hits allowed, one run allowed, one walk, one strikeout.
OUT OF THE BULLPEN:
- Freshman Jack Reyes: 2.0 innings pitched, one hit allowed, zero runs allowed, one walk, two strikeouts
- Freshman Henry Harding: (W, 1-0), 3.0 innings pitched, zero hits allowed, zero runs allowed, three walks, zero strikeouts
STEPPING TO THE PLATE:
- Royer: 3-for-4, double, three runs scored, walk
- Junior Braden Connors: 2-for-3, double, walk
- Coughlin: 2-for-4, two RBI
- Stelzer: 1-for-4, home run, two RBI, run scored
- Junior Alex Sandell: 1-for-4, RBI
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Seattle hit a solo shot in the bottom of the first for the 1-0 lead.
- A two out RBI single up the middle for the hosts added another run for the 2-0 edge.
- Royer singled to third base when the fielder lost the ball in the sun and advanced to second. Junior John LaFleur singled to plate his classmate making it 2-1 in the sixth.
- In the eighth, Connors led off the frame with a double and was pinch run for at second by freshman Macade Maxwell. Royer walked on four pitches and with one out, Coughlin was hit by a pitch. Landry walked with the bases loaded to tie the game and Sandell lofted a sacrifice fly to right field to put Holy Cross into the lead at 3-2.
- Holy Cross added insurance in the ninth when Stelzer pulled his first collegiate homer making it 5-2. Coughlin singled to left field to bring home two more runs for the 7-2 advantage.
POSTGAME THOUGHTS:
DUE UP:
- Holy Cross continues its series on Monday, March 2.
- Sophomore left-handed pitcher Derek Volz (0-1, 28.93 ERA) will take the mound for Holy Cross in game four. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. EST.
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