Next Game:
vs. UC Santa Barbara
5/30/2026 | 2:00 PM
May. 30 (Sat) / 2:00 PM
vs. UC Santa Barbara
AUSTIN – The Holy Cross baseball team was defeated 19-1 by No. 6 nationally-ranked Texas in the opening game of the 2026 NCAA Tournament Austin Regional Friday afternoon at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
The loss sends the Crusaders to 25-29 on the season and they face elimination from the Austin Regional. They will battle the loser of the UC Santa Barbara/Tarleton State game on Saturday, May 30 at 2 p.m. EST with broadcast network to be determined.
Junior left fielder John LaFleur went 2-for-4 in the game with an RBI single. Junior second baseman Alex Sandell also posted two hits in four at bats with a double. Junior designated hitter Gianni Royer, junior catcher Colin Brown and sophomore right fielder Nick Andersen each tallied a base knock apiece.
Texas (41-13) scored 14 of its 19 runs with two outs in the game and hit a season-high six home runs, which tied the program record. The Longhorn three hole hitters hit four of their six homers in the contest.
STARTING ON THE MOUND:
Luke Harrison: (ND), 4.0 innings pitched, two hits allowed, zero earned runs, zero walks, seven strikeouts, 50 pitches – 35 strikes
Senior Jaden Wywoda: (L, 6-5), 4.2 innings pitched, 11 hits allowed, eight earned runs, three walks, two strikeouts, 105 pitches – 63 strikes
OUT OF THE BULLPEN:
Cody Howard: (W, 1-1), 2.0 innings pitched, two hits allowed, zero runs, zero walks, two strikeouts, 30 strikes – 22 pitches
STEPPING TO THE PLATE:
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Sandell went down the right field line for a double for the first hit of the game for the Crusaders in the top of the first.
Wywoda struck out the first batter he faced in the bottom of the first. Pack Jr. drilled a second pitch home run making it 1-0 Longhorns.
LaFleur snuck through a single in the top of the second, the second hit of the game for the Crusaders.
Pack Jr. hit another homer, a two run shot to expand the edge to 4-0 through three.
Junior third baseman Ryan Grundy made a sweet back handed play at the hot corner for an out then Sandell and Wywoda teamed up for a play that was overturned via review in the bottom of the fourth.
Another Texas home run, a solo shot made it 5-0. Two more runs upped the score to 7-0 through four.
A four spot in the fifth including Pack Jr.’s third tater of the game expanded the lead to 11-0.
Seven more runs from the host increased the score to 18-0.
In the top of the eighth, the Crusaders threatened when Brown was hit by a pitch and Andersen singled through the right side putting two on and no outs. A failed pickoff attempt advanced Brown and Andersen in scoring position, however the Crusaders could not score a run.
A sacrifice fly in the eighth scored the 19th run of the game for Texas.
Holy Cross loaded the bases in the ninth off a Royer and Connors single and a Grundy walk. LaFleur singled to right field for the only run of the game for Holy Cross.
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