LEWISBURG, Pa. – No. 4 Holy Cross captured its second straight League title by holding off a late rally from No. 2 Bucknell in a 14-11 victory in Game 3 of the 2026 Patriot League Baseball Championship Series at Depew Field at Marren Park on Wednesday. 

Holy Cross senior RHP Jaden Wywoda tossed 4.2 innings in relief to earn the save just two days after throwing more than 120 pitches in a complete-game win in Game 1 to earn Patriot League Most Valuable Player honors. Wywoda helped the Crusaders become the first No. 4 seed since 2010 to earn the League title by tossing a Patriot League Championship record 19.2 innings in the Crusaders’ two series victories.
 
Senior CF CJ Egrie reached base six times for the second time in the championship series, going 1-for-1 with an RBI, while matching a Patriot League Championship Record with five runs scored. The two-time Patriot League Player of the Year walked four times and was hit by a pitch while setting a championship single-game record with four stolen bases, including a first-inning steal of home. Junior 3B Ryan Grundy, who went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in the decisive third game and junior 1B Braden Connors, who homered in each of the first two games of the championship series, joined Egrie and Wywoda on the All-Tournament Team.
 
Bucknell senior LF Michael Trommer went 3-for-5 with two RBIs in the final game and earned All-Tournament honors after batting .478 (11-for-23) in five games during the championship. Bison sophomore RHP Everett Garber, who earned the win in Game 2 and sophomore C Deacon Bowne, who went 2-for-2 with two runs and an RBI in Game 3, also earned spots on the All-Tournament squad.
 
Army West Point senior 2B Chris Barr and senior SS Thomas Schreck and Navy junior 3B Evan Brown and junior RF Andrew Manning rounded out the 11-member Patriot League All-Tournament Team.
 
2026 Patriot League Baseball Championship All-Tournament Team
Jaden Wywoda, Holy Cross, Sr., RHP – Patriot League Championship Most Valuable Player
Braden Connors, Holy Cross, Jr., 1B
CJ Egrie, Holy Cross, Sr., CF
Ryan Grundy, Holy Cross, Jr., 3B
Deacon Bowne, Bucknell, So., C
Everett Garber, Bucknell, So., RHP
Michael Trommer, Bucknell, Sr., LF
Chris Barr, Army West Point, Sr., 2B
Thomas Schreck, Army West Point, Sr., SS
Evan Brown, Navy, Jr., 3B
Andrew Manning, Navy, Jr., RF

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 25. Live coverage on ESPN2 begins at noon ET.

For more information about the 2026 Patriot League Baseball Championship, visit CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL.
 
No. 4 Holy Cross def. No. 2 Bucknell, 2-1 (Depew Field at Marren Park/Lewisburg, Pa.)

Date	Game	Results	Stats
Mon., May 18	Championship Game 1 – Holy Cross at Bucknell	HC, W, 11-2	Box Score
Tues., May 19	Championship Game 2– Holy Cross at Bucknell	Bucknell, W, 9-5	Box Score
Wed., May 20	Championship Game 3 – Holy Cross at Bucknell	HC, W, 14-11	Box Score

 
2026 Patriot League Baseball Championship – Championship Series Game 3
NO. 4 HOLY CROSS CRUSADERS (25-28, 13-13 PL) 14, AT NO. 2 BUCKNELL BISON (27-24, 17-9 PL) 11
Depew Field at Marren Park/Lewisburg, Pa.                                  Wednesday, May 20 - 10 a.m. (ESPN+)
BOX SCORE
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Senior CF CJ Egrie reached base six times and matched a Patriot League Championship single-game record with five runs to lead No. 4 Holy Cross to a 14-11 victory over No. 2 Bucknell to claim its second straight League title.
*Egrie finished 1-for-1 with four walks, five runs and four stolen bases, matching teammate Gianni Royer to set a Patriot League Championship single-game record. Egrie and Royer both stole home plate as part of a first inning that saw the Crusaders steal six bases and score twice without recording a hit.
*Junior 2B Alex Sandell went 2-for-6 with a game-high four RBIs, while Grundy went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and junior C Van Coughlin went 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI to help the Crusaders score 14 runs.
*Senior RHP Jaden Wywoda came on to stabilize a Crusaders’ pitching staff that used four arms through 4.1 innings, pitching the rest of the way after earning a complete-game win in Game 1. He allowed six runs on eight hits through 4.2 innings with four strikeouts to record the save.
*Sophomore RHP Aidan Gilbert earned the win, allowing one hit in 1.2 scoreless innings to get the Crusaders into the fifth inning.
*Bucknell junior CF Billy Fluharty went 2-for-6 with four RBIs on a pair of two-run triples. His first two-run triple highlighted a five-run third inning that gave the Bison a 5-3 lead.
*Trommer went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and freshman DH Garrett Mathias went 2-for-5 with one RBI.
*Sophomore RHP Bryce Mitchell took the loss, allowing four runs on two hits in 0.2 of an inning.
RECAPS: HOLY CROSS | BUCKNELL  
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
*Egrie drew a lead-off walk and later stole home plate with two outs to put the Crusaders on the scoreboard early.
*Crusaders’ junior DH Gianni Royer was hit by a pitch and stole three bases in the first, taking second, third and home on a double steal to put Holy Cross in front, 2-0.
*In the top of the third inning, Grundy made the Crusaders’ first hit of the game count, depositing a pitch over the fence to extend the lead to 3-0.
*Bucknell scored the first of its five runs in the bottom of the third inning when junior 3B Zach Selfon drew a bases-loaded walk to score Lagoni before junior 2B Andrew Swenson’s sacrifice fly drove in sophomore RF John Calabrese.
*Sophomore C Deacon Bowne lined an RBI single to center field to tie the score before junior CF Billy Fluharty tripled to right field, driving in two more runs to give the Bison a 5-3 lead.
*Holy Cross answered in the fourth inning, scoring one run on back-to-back doubles by Egrie and Sandell. Sandell later scored on an RBI groundout by Connors to tie the score at five.
*A lead-off double from junior LF John LaFleur and an RBI single by junior C Van Coughlin put Holy Cross back in front before Royer, Connors and Grundy drew consecutive bases-loaded walks to take a 9-5 lead.
*In the sixth inning, Egrie drew a bases-loaded walk to score one run, Sandell singled up the middle to drive in two and Egrie scored the fourth run of the inning to give Holy Cross a 13-5 advantage.
*Bucknell answered, as Fluharty recorded his second two-run triple of the game before Trommer singled to drive in another run, bringing the Bison back within five runs at 13-8.
*Egrie drew a lead-off walk in the eighth inning to reach base for the sixth time before stealing second base to break the Patriot League Championship single-game record and scoring to match the League Championship single-game and tournament record for runs scored.
*Royer also stole his fourth base of the game in the eighth inning to match Egrie for the League Championship single-game record.
*Bucknell added one run in the bottom of the eighth inning, as freshman DH Garrett Mathias led off with a double and scored on a groundout by sophomore 1B Lleyton Coupe.
*The Bison threatened again in the bottom of the ninth, as Trommer hit an RBI single through the left side of the infield before Mathias singled up the middle to bring Bucknell within three runs at 14-11.
*Bucknell brought the tying run to the plate in the final frame, but Wywoda registered a strikeout to close the series.
 
Patriot League Championship Records Broken
Innings Pitched, Tournament – Jaden Wywoda, Holy Cross, 19.2
Team Stolen Bases, Inning – Holy Cross, 6 (at Bucknell, 5.20.26)
Stolen Bases, Game – CJ Egrie, Holy Cross, 4 (at Bucknell, 5.20.26); Gianni Royer, Holy Cross, 4 (at Bucknell (5.20.26)
 
Patriot League Championship Records Tied
Runs, Game – CJ Egrie, Holy Cross, 5 (at Bucknell, 5.20.26)
Runs, Tournament – CJ Egrie, Holy Cross 10 (2026)
Stolen Bases, Tournament – CJ Egrie, 6 (2026)
 
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.