WORCESTER, Mass. – Holy Cross took both halves of a doubleheader from the Lafayette baseball team on Saturday at Fitton Field. The Crusaders won game one, 13-8, and game two, 5-0.

The Crusaders wasted no time getting on the board in game one, scoring a run on a Lafayette error in the first. Holy Cross added eight more runs in the second, to make the score 9-0.

Lafayette struck back in the third. With the bases loaded, sophomore Ethan Swidler drew a walk that scored freshman Teddy Cashman. Junior Michael Zarrillo hit an RBI-groundout to the Holy Cross pitcher that scored senior Michael Mallas. Senior Blaze Fadio lofted a two-run single to left field, scoring Swidler and freshman Matt Colella, making the tally 9-4.

Holy Cross responded with two more runs in the bottom half of the inning, scoring on an RBI-triple and a passed ball, bringing the score to 11-4.

In the fourth, Lafayette's Cashman blasted a solo home run off of the score board in right field, cutting the Holy Cross lead to 11-5. The home run was Cashman's third of the year.

In the bottom of the inning, the Crusaders responded with an RBI-single to right field, extending their advantage to 12-5.

The Leopards scored another run in the fifth on an RBI-single to right field by junior Easton Brenner that drove in Colella and made the tally 12-6.

Holy Cross added another run in the sixth, this time on a bases-loaded walk, making the score 13-6.

For the Leopards in the seventh, Zarrillo blasted a home run over the fence in center field, his seventh home run of the year. Later in the inning, junior Ben Petrone hit his ninth home run of the year, over the fence in left field, making the final tally 13-8.  

Alex Bryant collected the win for the Crusaders, giving up six runs, seven hits and striking out five over 5.1 innings of work. Senior Joey Pence took the loss for the Leopards, surrendering five runs, four hits and recording two strikeouts in one inning of action.

In game two, neither team was able to score until the bottom of the fifth, when the Crusaders' Connor Cooney stole home to give Holy Cross a 1-0 lead.

The Crusaders added four insurance runs in the seventh on an RBI-double, an RBI-single, an RBI-triple and an RBI-ground out, to make the final score 5-0.

The Holy Cross pitching staff controlled game two. Crusaders' Danny Macchiarola earned the win, pitching 7.2 scoreless innings, while giving up two hits with 13 strikeouts. Sophomore Trace Florio took the loss for the Leopards, giving up five hits and five runs, while striking out two over six innings.

On Sunday, the Leopards travel to Army for a doubleheader starting at noon.