SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Holy Cross softball team split a pair of contests on Saturday at the Spartan Classic. The Crusaders shutout South Carolina State 2-0 in the afternoon before being downed by George Mason 10-1 in the nightcap.

With the split, the Crusaders move to 2-1 in the early stages of the season. South Carolina fell to 0-2 with the loss and the Patriots improved to 4-2 with the victory.
 
GAME ONE: CRUSADERS 2, BULLDOGS 0 (FINAL):
 
STARTING IN THE CIRCLE:

• Junior Megan Yurchick: W (1-0) complete game, shutout, five hits allowed, three strikeouts.  
• Kenniyah Miller L (0-1), 4.0 innings pitched, three hits allowed, two earned runs, one walk.

 
IN RELIEF:

• Destiny Calloway: 3.0 innings pitched, one strikeout, one walk.

 
STEPPING TO THE PLATE:

• Anna Brait: 1-for-3, RBI.
• Senior Bailey Bates: 1-for-3, run scored.
• Junior Jessica Mott: 1-for-2, run scored, walk.
• Megan Yurchick: 0-for-3, RBI.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Both runs came across in the top of the first. Mott walked on four straight pitches and on a 2-2 count, Bates singled to left center. A wild pitch moved both runners up into scoring position with zero outs. Brait grounded out to second bringing home the first run. Yurchick helped out her own cause with a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
• The Crusaders had a chance to score an insurance run in the top of the third following a Mott infield single. With two away and runners at the corners, the Crusaders scoring threat was thwarted on a fly out to center field.
• SC State tried to mount a comeback in the bottom of the sixth, but Yurchick induced a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

 
GAME TWO: PATRIOTS 10, CRUSADERS 1 (FINAL – 6 INN.):
 
STARTING IN THE CIRCLE:

• Carly Cooper: W (1-0), 5.0 innings pitched, three hits allowed, four walks, three strikeouts, earned run.
• Sophia Roncone: L (1-1) 3.0 innings pitched, eight hits allowed, seven earned runs, four strikeouts.

 
IN RELIEF:

• Jordan Anderson: 1.0 innings pitched, two hits, two strikeouts, walk.
• Senior Audrey Gusel: 2.2 innings pitched, four hits allowed, three earned runs, strikeout.

 
STEPPING TO THE PLATE:

• Haley Taormina: 2-for-4, home run, double five RBI, two runs scored, stolen base.
• Elyssa DeRosa: 2-for-4, home run, three RBI, stolen base.
• Alena Ball: 3-for-4, three runs scored, two stolen bases, RBI.
• Freshman Ali Sniegocki: 2-for-3, RBI.
• Freshman Anna Brait: 1-for-1, two walks, run scored.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• In the bottom of the second, George Mason jumped ahead as Taormina hit a two-run shot down the left field line for the 2-0 lead. A couple more runners reached base, but Roncone stranded the runners.
• Holy Cross pulled within one during the top of the fourth. Brait and Yurchick singled to put runners first and second. With two outs, Sniegocki lined single to center to plate Brait making the contest 2-1.
• The Patriots loaded the bases in the home half of the fourth and Ball singled to short to increase the edge to 3-1. Taormina chased Roncone from the game with a bases clearing two bagger to make it 6-1. Taormina scored on a sacrifice for the 7-1 George Mason lead.
• Three walks in the top of the fifth loaded the bases for Holy Cross with two outs. Cooper induced a ground out to allow no runs to score.
• The Crusaders again loaded the bases in the top of the sixth via two singles and a walk, but they could not score a run as they trailed 7-1.
• George Mason completed the run rule victory when DeRosa hit a three-run Johnson in the bottom of the sixth.

 
DUE UP:

• The Crusaders wrap up the Spartan Classic tomorrow at noon against host USC Upstate.

 
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