AUSTIN – The Holy Cross baseball team was defeated 19-1 by No. 6 nationally-ranked Texas in the opening game of the 2026 NCAA Tournament Austin Regional Friday afternoon at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
The loss sends the Crusaders to 25-29 on the season and they face elimination from the Austin Regional. They will battle the loser of the UC Santa Barbara/Tarleton State game on Saturday, May 30 at 2 p.m. EST with broadcast network to be determined.
Junior left fielder
John LaFleur went 2-for-4 in the game with an RBI single. Junior second baseman
Alex Sandell also posted two hits in four at bats with a double. Junior designated hitter
Gianni Royer, junior catcher
Colin Brown and sophomore right fielder
Nick Andersen each tallied a base knock apiece.
Texas (41-13) scored 14 of its 19 runs with two outs in the game and hit a season-high six home runs, which tied the program record. The Longhorn three hole hitters hit four of their six homers in the contest.
STARTING ON THE MOUND:
- Luke Harrison: (ND), 4.0 innings pitched, two hits allowed, zero earned runs, zero walks, seven strikeouts, 50 pitches – 35 strikes
- Senior Jaden Wywoda: (L, 6-5), 4.2 innings pitched, 11 hits allowed, eight earned runs, three walks, two strikeouts, 105 pitches – 63 strikes
OUT OF THE BULLPEN:
- Cody Howard: (W, 1-1), 2.0 innings pitched, two hits allowed, zero runs, zero walks, two strikeouts, 30 strikes – 22 pitches
STEPPING TO THE PLATE:
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Sandell went down the right field line for a double for the first hit of the game for the Crusaders in the top of the first.
- Wywoda struck out the first batter he faced in the bottom of the first. Pack Jr. drilled a second pitch home run making it 1-0 Longhorns.
- LaFleur snuck through a single in the top of the second, the second hit of the game for the Crusaders.
- Pack Jr. hit another homer, a two run shot to expand the edge to 4-0 through three.
- Junior third baseman Ryan Grundy made a sweet back handed play at the hot corner for an out then Sandell and Wywoda teamed up for a play that was overturned via review in the bottom of the fourth.
- Another Texas home run, a solo shot made it 5-0. Two more runs upped the score to 7-0 through four.
- A four spot in the fifth including Pack Jr.'s third tater of the game expanded the lead to 11-0.
- Seven more runs from the host increased the score to 18-0.
- In the top of the eighth, the Crusaders threatened when Brown was hit by a pitch and Andersen singled through the right side putting two on and no outs. A failed pickoff attempt advanced Brown and Andersen in scoring position, however the Crusaders could not score a run.
- A sacrifice fly in the eighth scored the 19th run of the game for Texas.
- Holy Cross loaded the bases in the ninth off a Royer and Connors single and a Grundy walk. LaFleur singled to right field for the only run of the game for Holy Cross.
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