Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Holy Cross
Army Opens League Slate By Sweeping Holy Cross
April 02, 2011 | Baseball
Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Ben Koenigsfeld earned a two-inning save in the first game and hit a go-ahead three-run home run in the second contest as Army swept a Patriot League doubleheader from Holy Cross on a breezy Saturday afternoon at Doubleday Field.
Clint Moore blasted a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to help lift Army to a 2-1 victory in the opener, and the Black Knights used a pair of four-run frames to take an 8-3 decision from Holy Cross in the nightcap.
"To come out here today and get off to a fast start in Patriot League play is huge for us," said Koenigsfeld. "We got great pitching performances in both games today, and we did enough to pick up a couple of wins."
Army (9-13, 2-0 PL) took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning of the first game when J.T. Watkins tripled to deep right-center field and scored on a wild pitch.
Holy Cross (12-12-1, 0-2 PL) tied the score at 1-1 in the top of the fifth inning as Brendan McCrea hit a two-out solo home run over the fence in left field.
The Black Knights scored the go-ahead run in the bottom half of the fifth inning when Moore ripped his third home run of the season to left-center field.
Army starter Scott Lucado (1-0) earned his first career victory in the opener as the junior allowed just two hits in five innings. The righty struck out four batters and did not allow a walk during his sterling performance.
"I wanted to spot my fastball, keep the ball down and continue to pound that outside corner," said Lucado after the game. "It's very exciting to go out there and pitch our team to a win against one of the best teams in the conference. Everything went right from the very beginning, and the offense came through for us near the end. It was awesome."
Koenigsfeld came on and worked the sixth and seventh innings to pick up his third save of the season. He allowed just one hit, while striking out two.
Watkins went 2-for-3 to pace Army's eight-hit attack in the first game as the Black Knights outhit the Crusaders, 8-3.
John Pedrotty (4-2) was saddled with the loss in game one after yielding two runs on eight hits in a complete game effort. He struck out eight Army batters and did not issue a walk.
Holy Cross jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning in the nightcap. Steven Wadsworth led off the inning with a single and he moved to third base on Josh Olson's double. Mike Ahmed then walked to load the bases for Andrew Barry, who smacked a three-run double to left-center field.
Army responded in the bottom of the third inning as the Black Knights scored four runs to assume a 4-3 advantage. Cody Murtle walked to begin the uprising, and he moved to third base when Matt Croglio's pickoff throw sailed wide of the mark. Murtle then scored Army's first run of the frame on Steve May's RBI groundout to shortstop. David Darnell followed with a base hit and Zach Price walked, putting two men aboard for Koenigsfeld, who belted a three-run home run over the fence in center field.
"I was looking for something up in the zone and he left a change-up up, and I just stayed through it and put a good swing on it," said Koenigsfeld of his 14th career home run.
The Black Knights padded their lead in the fifth inning, scoring four more runs to make it 8-3. Price, Koenigsfeld and Moore began the rally with consecutive singles to load the bases for Joey Henshaw, who drew a four-pitch walk to force home a run. Watkins then drove in a run as he reached on a fielder's choice grounder to third base. Three wild pitches thrown by Holy Cross allowed Henshaw and Watkins to come around and score.
Ken Jackson (4-1) earned the win in relief for Army, allowing just one hit in 2.1 scoreless innings of work. Gunnar Carroll worked the final two innings to help preserve the Black Knights' victory.
Croglio (2-3) yielded seven runs on six hits in four innings and took the loss for Holy Cross.
Koenigsfeld finished 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored to pace the Black Knights' seven-hit attack in the second game. Barry and Alex Maldonado both collected two hits apiece for the Crusaders, who finished with seven hits in the nightcap.
"I think we executed well today and played the game fundamentally sound," said Army head coach Joe Sottolano. "We are looking to continue to do that and build off of that as we move forward. I still believe that our best baseball is ahead of us."
Army will wrap up its four-game series versus Holy Cross on Sunday (April 3) when the two teams meet in a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
Game Notes: Army improves to 59-27-2 all-time versus Holy Cross ... Army begins its Patriot League schedule 2-0 for the first time since 2001 team opened 3-0 ... the Black Knights improve to 4-2 at home this season ... Clint Moore's home run was the 27th of his career, moving him one behind Cole White's Academy record ... Moore moved into sole possession of first place on Army's all-time RBI list with 153 career runs batted in ... Scott Lucado set career highs with five innings pitched and four strikeouts ... Ben Koenigsfeld now owns five career saves, placing him just outside of Army's all-time top 10 list ... Army wore its white uniforms with black caps for both games of today's doubleheader.
