WORCESTER, Mass. – The Holy Cross baseball team walked-off an opponent for the third time this season as junior infielder
Alex Sandell executed a perfect drag bunt with runners and first and third with one out as the Crusaders earned a 7-6 victory in 10 innings over non-conference foe Bryant Wednesday evening at the Ballpark at Fitton Field.
The win, the fourth over the last five games for the Crusaders moves them to 20-25 on the year. This marks the third straight season with 20+ wins for Holy Cross while the Bulldogs fall to 22-19 on the season.
Sandell finished the game going 3-for-6 with an RBI and a pair of stolen bases. It was his third 3+ hit game of the season. Freshman outfielder
Liam Daly went 2-for-4 with his third homer of the campaign while junior outfielder
John LaFleur remained hot at the dish going 2-for-3 with a two RBI double. This was the sixth time the Crusaders rallied in the late innings in 2026.
Freshman left-handed pitcher
Ethan Maddies recorded his career strikeout in the contest and was electric out of the bullpen in the middle frames. Junior righr-handed pitcher
Andrew Nesson hurled two innings of relief late picking up the win with a career-high matching four strikeouts.
STARTING ON THE MOUND:
- Sophomore Brett Mulligan: (ND), 2.0 innings pitched, one hit allowed, zero runs, two walks, one strikeout, 22 pitches
- Zev Salsberg: (ND), 1.1 innings pitched, six hits allowed, five runs, one walk, two strikeouts, 42 pitches
OUT OF THE BULLPEN:
- Freshman Ethan Maddies: 2.1 innings pitched, two hits allowed, zero runs, zero walks, three strikeouts, 31 pitches
- Andrew Nesson: (W, 1-0), 2.0 innings pitched, one hit allowed, zero runs, zero walks, four strikeouts, 28 pitches
- Billy Mulholland: (L, 0-2), 2.1 innings pitched, two hits allowed, one run – zero earned, zero walks, three strikeouts, 43 pitches
STEPPING TO THE PLATE:
- Sandell: 3-for-6, RBI, two stolen bases
- LaFleur: 2-for-3, double, two RBI, run scored, walk
- Daly: 2-for-4, home run, RBI, two runs scored, walk
- Junior Braden Connors: 2-for-5, RBI
- Junior Gianni Royer: 1-for-3, two runs scored, two walks
- Junior Coughlin: 1-for-5, double, RBI,
- Gavin Greger: 4-for-5, triple, home run, two RBI, two runs scored, stolen base
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- LaFleur continued his hot hitting pulling a two-run RBI double to left field making it 2-0 Holy Cross in the bottom of the first. Connors hit an RBI single to score LaFleur expanding the lead to 3-0.
- In the second, Daly hit a solo homer to the opposite field and a wild pitch scored another to up the score to 5-0 Crusaders.
- A solo shot from the Bulldogs put them behind 5-1 in the fourth.
- Bryant slapped a double that split the left center field gap to score a runner from first in the top of the fifth to trail 5-2.
- Four in the sixth pushed Bryant into the lead at 6-5.
- In the bottom of the seventh, Coughlin doubled down the left field line on the ninth pitch of his at bat to tie the game, 6-6.
- Junior right-handed pitcher Cole Mascott came into the game in the eighth with one down and out of a jam with a strikeout and fly out on a full count.
- Nesson struck out three in the top of the 10th.
- Daly kicked off the 10th pulling a single to right field and advanced to second off a back pick that sailed into right field. Freshman Owen Stelzer sacrificed his classmate to third base. Junior Colin Brown pinch hit and worked an eight pitch walk. Sandell ended the game on the next offering.
DUE UP:
- Holy Cross ends its 2026 regular-season with a three game set at Lafayette (10-32, 5-18 PL) beginning on Saturday, May 2.
- First pitch is slated for 12 p.m.
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