WORCESTER, Mass. – The Holy Cross baseball team scored four runs in the 11th inning to clinch a two-game sweep of Bucknell with an 11-7 victory to earn its first Patriot League Championship in five tries on Saturday afternoon at Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field.
 
The Crusaders earn their first League title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Baseball Championships. This will be Holy Cross’s first trip to the tournament since 1978. The 2017 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship bracket will be announced on Monday, May 29 with time and network to be determined with the regionals beginning on June 2.
 
Holy Cross held a 7-4 lead going into the ninth inning, but Bucknell senior centerfielder Brett Smith hit a three-run home run to knot the game at seven runs apiece. The game remained tied until the top of the 11th inning when Holy Cross drew three-consecutive bases loaded walks, before freshman Jared Enders was hit by a pitch to plate the fourth run of the inning. Senior reliever George Capen earned the victory for the Crusaders. He earned a save in game one.
 
Crusaders game one starting pitcher Brendan King was named the tournament’s most valuable player, after going 2-0 with a 1.88 earned run average over 14.1 innings spanning two starts.
 
2017 Patriot League Baseball All-Tournament Team
Baseball Championship Most Outstanding Player: Brendan King, Sr., RHP, Holy Cross
Bill Schlich, Sr., OF, Holy Cross
Josh Hassell, Sr., OF, Holy Cross
Anthony Critelli, Sr., 1B, Holy Cross
Sam Clark, Sr., 3B, Bucknell
Danny Rafferty, Sr., 1B, Bucknell
Mike Castellani, Sr., LHP, Bucknell
Tyler Giovinco, So., LHP, Army West Point
Jon Rosoff, Jr., C, Army West Point
Kyle Condry, Sr., RHP, Navy
Noah Song, So., RHP, Navy
 
AT NO. 2 HOLY CROSS (23-25, 12-8 PL) 11, NO. 4 BUCKNELL BISON (21-28, 10-10 PL) 7
Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field/Worcester, Mass.             Friday, May 19, 5:05 p.m.
BOX SCORE
WORCESTER, Mass. – Holy Cross scored four times in the top of the 11th inning on three bases loaded walks and a hit by pitch with the bases loaded to outlast Bucknell, earning a two-game sweep and its first Patriot League Championship.
*HC senior reliever George Capen earned the win after scattering two hits over and striking out two over 2.0 scoreless innings.
*Senior rightfielder Josh Hassell went 4-for-6 with two RBIs and one run, while senior leftfielder Bill Schlich went 3-for-6 with two RBIs and one run. Senior catcher Alex Voitik drove in three runs.
*Bucknell senior 3B Sam Clark hit a pair of home runs, giving him three for the tournament. He went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Smith went 1-for-6, but hit a dramatic game-tying three-run home run in the ninth inning.
*Bison LHP Mike Castellani allowed four runs on 10 hits over 6.1 innings, while striking out nine and Crusaders RHP Joe Cravero allowed three runs on six hits, while striking out eight over 7.0 innings. Neither figured in the decision.
*Voitik hit a two-run home run in the top of the second inning to tie the score at two runs apiece.
*Hassell singled to drive in freshman shortstop Chris Rinaldi in the top of the fourth inning to put the Crusaders in front, 3-2.
*Critelli hit a solo home run in the top of the fifth inning, his second of the tournament, to extend the lead to 4-2.
* Rafferty led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a single and eventually crossed the plate on freshman LF JohnPaul Bell’s ground out, bringing the Bison within one run.
*Hassell drove in his second run of the game with a two-out single, before Schlich drove in two more with a double to take a 7-3 lead.
*Clark hit his second home run of the game, third of the series to bring Bucknell back within three runs, at 7-4.
*Smith hit a three-run home run in the top of the ninth inning to tie the game at seven.
*Holy Cross loaded the bases, then drew three straight walks and a hit by pitch to plate four runs.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT THE BUCKNELL BASEBALL RECAP
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT THE HOLY CROSS BASEBALL RECAP