HOLY CROSS 6, DAVIDSON 4
DAVIDSON, N.C. ? Holy Cross scored six runs in the first six innings, then held off host Davidson, 6-4, snapping an eight-game losing streak on Thursday morning in a college baseball game at Wilson Field. The victory was just the second on the season for the Crusaders (2-8), while the Wildcats (9-3) lost for the first time ever against Holy Cross in five games.
Norm Roth led the Crusader offense, going 3-for-5 with a solo homer in the fifth, his second of the season. Kyle Lister also had a solo blast, his first, and a double for Holy Cross.
Crusader starter Rob Oteri (1-1) cruised through the first five innings, yielding just four hits and a walk while fanning four to keep the Wildcats scoreless. But Davidson finally touched Oteri for a couple runs in the sixth. Sophomore Matt Webb led off with a hustling double to left, then went to third on a one-out infield single off the bat of Rob Wilson. Senior Gregory Zage dropped a base hit into left-center to score Webb, and fellow senior Blake Osborn followed with an RBI single to right-center.
When Oteri walked sophomore Chris FitzPatrick to load the bases, Holy Cross called upon Dan Seip to get out of the jam. Seip retired the first batter he faced on a pop to first with his first pitch, then after falling behind 3-0, came back to get a routine fly to right, keeping the score at 6-2.
Webb sent a Seip offering over the fence in left for a two-run homer in the seventh, tying him for the team lead with four long balls and getting the ’Cats within two.
Scott Hampe came on to pitch in the eighth for the Crusaders, and after retiring the side in order, got into a bit of a jam in the ninth. But with runners at first and second and one out, he got the game-ending double play for his first save of the year.
Holy Cross jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first. With runners at second and third, Brendan Akashian hit a slow roller to first to score the first run. Tyler Stampone followed with a single to left for an RBI.
The control problems that have plagued Wildcat starter Rob Shenk (0-1) this season manifested in the second when he hit the first two batters. He nearly escaped the inning after inducing a double play, but he then uncorked a wild pitch allowing the runner to score from third for a 3-0 Crusader lead.
Shenk was lifted when he walked Akashian leading off the third, and Andrew Tenaglia ripped a one-out double to score Akashian from first.
Holy Cross scored single runs in the fifth and sixth on solo home runs by Norm Roth and Kyle Lister, their second and first long balls of the season, respectively.
Webb finished the game 2-for-5 with his double and home run, scoring twice and driving in two. Senior Alden Crissey, Wilson and Zage had a pair of singles to bolster the 11-hit Wildcat attack.
After Shenk allowed four runs in his two-plus innings on the mound, the bullpen held Holy Cross to just two runs over the final seven stanzas.