WORCESTER, Mass. – Top-seeded Holy Cross clinched its second Patriot League baseball crown in program history with an 8-7 walk-off victory over No. 3 Army West Point in 10 innings to sweep the best two-of-three-game 2025 Patriot League Baseball Championship Series at Fitton Field.
Sophomore CF Gianni Royer doubled down the left-field line to score sophomore LF John LaFleur for the game-winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning of the back-and-forth matchup with the six-time defending champion Black Knights. Royer was selected to the 11-member Patriot League Baseball All-Tournament Team.
Crusaders’ senior SS Jimmy King went 2-for-5 with an RBI and one run scored, while senior 1B Chris Baillargeon also went 1-for-3 with an RBI to earn All-Tournament honors. Baillargeon tied for the League lead with seven RBIs during the Championship. Holy Cross junior RHP Danny Macchiarola claimed Tournament MVP honors, going 2-0 with a 0.53 ERA and 18 strikeouts in two starts spanning 17.0 innings during the Patriot League Championship.
Army West Point senior 1B/RHP Justin Lehman claimed All-Tournament honors, batting .524 during the Championship with a pair of three-hit performances during the Championship Series while also going 1-0 with a 1.32 ERA in two starts during the tournament. He was joined on the All-Tournament Team by teammates Coleson Titus (Sr., 3B) and Thomas Schreck (Sr., SS). Titus batted .368 with seven RBIs during the tournament.
Navy senior 2B Brock Murtha earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team after batting .533 with five RBIs and two doubles in the semifinal round. He was joined by teammate Mason Ceccarelli (Fr., LF), who batted .462 with five runs scored and two RBIs.
Lehigh junior 1B Aidan Quinn posted a League-high .615 batting average in the postseason to earn a spot on the All-Tournament Team. Sophomore RHP Liam O’Hearen tossed 5.2 scoreless innings and earned a win in the semifinal round to earn a spot on the team.
2025 Patriot League Baseball All-Tournament Team
Danny Macchiarola, Holy Cross, Jr., RHP – Most Valuable Player
Chris Baillargeon, Holy Cross, Sr., 1B
Jimmy King, Holy Cross, Sr., SS
Gianni Royer, Holy Cross, So., CF
Justin Lehman, Army West Point, Sr., 1B/RHP
Coleson Titus, Army West Point, Sr., 3B
Thomas Schreck, Army West Point, Sr., SS
Brock Murtha, Navy, Sr., 2B
Mason Ceccarelli, Navy, Fr., LF
Aidan Quinn, Lehigh, Jr., 1B
Liam O’Hearen, Lehigh, So., RHP
Holy Cross receives the League’s automatic berth to the NCAA Baseball Regionals. The Crusaders will learn their postseason destination when the 64-team field is announced during the NCAA Division I Baseball Selection Show on Monday, May 26. Live coverage on ESPN2 begins at noon ET.
For more information about the 2025 Patriot League Baseball Championship, visit
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL.
At No. 1 Holy Cross def. No. 3 Army West Point, 2-0 (Fitton Field/Worcester, Mass.)
| Date |
Game |
Score/Time |
Results/Coverage |
| Sunday, May 18 |
Championship Game 1 – Army West Point at Holy Cross |
HC, 12-1 |
BOX SCORE |
| Monday, May 19 |
Championship Game 2– Army West Point at Holy Cross |
HC, 8-7 (10) |
BOX SCORE |
2025 Patriot League Baseball Championship – Championship Series Game 2
AT NO. 1 HOLY CROSS CRUSADERS (31-23, 17-8 PL) 8, NO. 3 ARMY WEST POINT BLACK KNIGHTS (25-25, 14-11 PL) 7 (10)
Fitton Field/Worcester, Mass. 6 p.m. (ESPN+)
BOX SCORE
WORCESTER, Mass. – Sophomore CF Gianni Royer doubled down the left-field line in the bottom of the 10th inning to drive in sophomore LF John LaFleur in a walk-off win, lifting No. 1 Holy Cross to an 8-7 victory over No. 3 Army West Point to claim the 2025 Patriot League Baseball title.
*Senior SS Jimmy King went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored, while senior 1B Chris Baillargeon went 1-for-3 with an RBI to join Royer on the All-Tournament Team.
*Senior 3B Connor Peek went 2-for-4 with an RBI with seven different Crusaders driving in a run in the clinching game.
*Freshman RHP Jake Lenahan earned the win for the Crusaders, allowing two runs on five hits over 4.1 innings.
*Army West Point junior CF Addison Ainsworth went 3-for-6 with a double, a two-run home run and four RBIs to lead the Black Knights’ offense.
*Black Knights’ senior Justin Lehman went 3-for-4 with an RBI, posting his second three-hit game of the championship series. He also allowed six runs, one earned, on eight hits over 6.2 innings but did not figure in the decision.
HOW IT HAPPENED
*Senior 2B Brendan Jones drove in the first run of the game on a sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the second inning.
*The Black Knights responded in the top of the third, as Ainsworth doubled to left-center field to score senior SS Thomas Schreck.
*Holy Cross regained the lead in the bottom of the inning, with senior 1B Chris Baillargeon driving in junior RF CJ Egrie before senior SS Jimmy King drove in sophomore LF John LaFleur on a bunt single to go up 3-1.
*Army junior RF Zac Farrell doubled down the left-field line to score freshman 1B Michael Delph to bring the Black Knights within one run.
*Ainsworth put the Black Knights in front for the first time during the series at 4-3 with a two-run home run down the right-field line.
*Senior 3B Coleson Titus’s sacrifice bunt in the top of the sixth inning drove in Farrell to extend the Black Knights’ lead to two runs at 5-3.
*Holy Cross cut the deficit to one run in the bottom of the seventh inning when senior 3B Connor Peek’s sacrifice fly scored sophomore CF Gianni Royer.
*The Crusaders sent 10 batters to the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning, scoring four runs to regain the lead. Sophomore catcher Colin Brown’s two-out single to right field scored senior DH Sean Scanlon to tie the score.
*Two batters later, sophomore LF John LaFleur drew a bases-loaded walk to put the Crusaders back in front before Brown crossed the plate on a wild pitch to the next batter to extend the lead to 7-5.
*The Black Knights scored a pair of runs in the top of the eighth inning, including an RBI single from Ainsworth and an RBI infield hit by Lehman to tie the score at seven.
*LaFleur and Baillargeon drew walks to open the Crusaders’ half of the 10th inning before Royer doubled down the left-field line to score LaFleur in the walk-off win.
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.