Baseball Picks Up Crucial Win Over Holy Cross; Splits Doubleheader

Saturday, April 11

Lewisburg, Pa.

12 p.m.

Bucknell University

19-13, 12-2

Holy Cross

15-17, 9-5

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Holy Cross	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	4	5	1
Bucknell	4	1	0	0	0	0	X	5	5	2

Photo by: Steven Schoenfelder

Baseball Picks Up Crucial Win Over Holy Cross; Splits Doubleheader

4/11/2026 7:49:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2

LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell baseball team picked up a crucial 5-4 win over Holy Cross, but the Crusaders inched one game closer as the sides split a doubleheader on Saturday at Depew Field at Marren Park.

Bucknell (19-13, 12-3 PL) won a crucial first game of the doubleheader behind four strong innings on the mound from Jake Schultz and Hadley Maxwell's eighth save of the season. Holy Cross nearly eliminated Bucknell's 5-0 lead with a four-run fifth inning, but the Bison fended off the Crusaders' comeback efforts to take game one.

Holy Cross (16-17, 10-5 PL) did nearly the same in game two, building a 7-1 lead after the top of the seventh. The Bison scored four in the eighth to cut the lead to two, but the Crusaders closed out a 7-5 win to get back within two games of the Bison in the Patriot League standings.

The Bison currently lead the standings by two games over second-place Holy Cross. With a Bucknell win in the series finale, the teams would split the series and the Bison would restore the four-game lead.

Bucknell had just five hits in each game, but the Bison pitching staff allowed just 12 hits between the two games. John Calabrese had a hit and an RBI in each game. Garrett Mathias picked up an RBI in each game and extended his on-base streak to 31 games.

Maxwell is 8-for-8 in save opportunities this season, and the senior's eight saves move him into third next to Ryan Osinski for a single season in program history. His 11 career saves are fifth-most in school history — just one save behind former major-leaguer Eric Junge ('99).

Bucknell and Holy Cross are back at Depew Field at Marren Park on Sunday for a highly-anticipated series finale. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Game One: Bucknell 5, Holy Cross 4 (7 innings)

Bucknell exploded for four runs in the first inning off of the reigning Patriot League Pitcher of the Year, Jaden Wywoda. The Bison scored an important fifth run in the second inning, and Wywoda showed his durability with four scoreless innings to close out his day.

Michael Trommer was hit with a pitch and Ty Lagoni drew a walk with one out to get two runners on. It set up an RBI single for Garrett Mathias, who singled into centerfield. John Calabrese followed suit with an RBI single into right to score Lagoni. Lleyton Coupe continued the rally, going the other way for a double down the left field line to score both runs.

Schultz struck out the side in a shutdown inning in the top of the second. Schultz struck out five over the first two innings and ended his day with a career-high seven strikeouts. The junior had his longest outing of the season as he went four scoreless innings to earn the win in the seven-inning game.

The Crusaders exploded offensively in the fifth inning, scoring four runs on two hits and three walks to cut the Bison lead to one run. Maxwell entered the game with two outs in the fifth and the bases loaded. He escaped the jam with a ground ball to Ryan Facinelli at first.

The Crusaders got a two-out single in the sixth, but Maxwell used a strikeout to end the inning. He then forced two quick ground outs and struck out the final batter to close out a big win for the Bison.

Game Two: Holy Cross 7, Bucknell 5

Bucknell did not get much going offensively off Holy Cross starter Brett Mulligan in game two. Mulligan allowed just a hit and a walk in five scoreless innings. Reliever Henry Harding allowed just a solo homer by Lagoni in his first two innings, but the Bison found an answer with four runs in the eighth to get back into the ballgame.

The late rally fell just short as the Bison stranded the bases loaded in the big inning, and Marco Citron earned the save with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

Holy Cross got a quick run in the top of the second as Ryan Grundy came home to score on a squeeze bunt by John LaFleur. The Crusaders then opened up a 4-0 lead with a three-run fourth inning.

The Crusaders added insurance runs in the sixth and seventh inning to take a 7-0 lead. Lagoni put the Bison on the board with a solo shot in the bottom of the seventh.

Bucknell's eighth-inning rally began with a single back up the middle by Andrew Swenson. Trommer and Lagoni drew free bases, and Mathias drew a walk to bring home a run. Calabrese grounded out to bring another run home, and a two-run single by Michael Chiaravallo cut the lead to 7-5. Citron escaped the jam to force a fly out to end the inning.

Frankie Bilecki pitched a scoreless ninth inning to keep the Bison within two, but Citron went three-up, three-down in the ninth to end it.

Holy Cross drew eight walks in the game and were hit by pitches four times. The Bison earned five walks, and two batters were hit by pitches.

Lagoni, playing as Bucknell's emergency catcher, caught two runners stealing in the game. He threw out CJ Egrie, one of the nation's leaders in stolen bases, stealing third. Egrie stole three bases in game one on Friday and was 33-for-33 on stolen base attempts coming into the game.