Sophomore pitcher Jake Lenahan played a key role in Holy Cross’s 7-3 win over Seattle on Monday at Bannerwood Park. Lenahan threw four hitless innings, striking out eight batters and retiring ten straight before issuing two walks. He finished with 65 pitches, 38 of them strikes.
The victory gave the Crusaders a series win, taking three out of four games against the RedHawks. Junior center fielder Gianni Royer helped secure the lead for Holy Cross in the fifth inning with a two-run home run, his second of the series. Over the four-game set, Royer posted a .400 batting average with two home runs, four RBIs, two doubles, and six runs scored.
Starting pitcher Derek Volx went three innings for Holy Cross, allowing two hits and three runs—two earned—while walking two and striking out one. For Seattle, Luke Alwood took the loss after pitching 4.2 innings and giving up five earned runs.
In addition to Lenahan’s performance from the bullpen, junior Colin Dowdle contributed two scoreless innings with one hit allowed and one strikeout.
At the plate, Braden Connors opened the game with a solo home run for Holy Cross. Simon Landry collected two hits and scored twice. Alex Sandell added another home run and drove in two runs while scoring twice himself. Preston Armstrong also homered, driving in three runs.
Seattle briefly led after a three-run homer in the second inning made it 3-1. In the fifth inning, Sandell tied it up with a home run before Royer’s blast put Holy Cross ahead 5-3. The Crusaders extended their lead to 7-3 in the sixth after Nick Andersen’s single brought in two more runs.
Lenahan and Dowdle limited Seattle to just three baserunners from the fourth inning onward.
Holy Cross head coach Ed Kahovec commented after the game: “Postgame with head coach @EdKahovec ???#GoCrossGopic.twitter.com/f8oON0TiQ2”
The Crusaders will continue their spring break trip Thursday at Portland, with first pitch scheduled for 9 p.m. EST.
For updates on Holy Cross baseball and other Crusader Athletics teams, fans can follow their social media accounts on X (@HCrossBaseball | @goholycross), Instagram (@hcrossbaseball | @goholycross), Facebook (Holy Cross Baseball | Holy Cross Athletics), and YouTube (GoHolyCross).
