BETHLEHEM, Pa. (Interstat) — Derek Volz delivered a dominant starting performance and Gianni Royer provided a crucial late-inning blast as the Holy Cross Crusaders defeated the Lehigh Mountain Hawks 7-2 on Sunday afternoon at Legacy Park to split a Patriot League weekend series.

The game, which concluded under the lights after an afternoon start, was controlled throughout by Holy Cross pitching. Volz, the top star for the Crusaders, set the tone with five overpowering innings. He allowed just one earned run, which scored after he had exited, and more critically, surrendered no hits while striking out four. He worked around four walks, and the lone Lehigh run charged to him came on an RBI single by Raffaele Rogers in the third inning that scored Silvio Giardina, who had walked and stolen second.

Volz’s effort provided stability for a Holy Cross team that entered with a 7-13 record and was coming off a shutout loss to Lehigh on Saturday. The Crusaders’ offense, which mustered 12 hits, gave him an early cushion. They struck in the first inning when Van Coughlin doubled home Braden Connors, who had been hit by a pitch from Lehigh starter Jake Mulvehill.

Mulvehill kept the Mountain Hawks close through 4 1/3 innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts. Holy Cross extended its lead to 2-1 in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Ian Royer that scored CJ Egrie, who had singled and stolen two bases in the inning.

The most important sequence of the game occurred in the top of the seventh, with Holy Cross clinging to that one-run lead. Egrie led off with his third single of the day, stole second and third, and then watched as Gianni Royer launched a two-run home run to center field off reliever Brandon Coughlin. The blast broke the game open, pushing the Crusaders’ lead to 4-1 and shifting momentum firmly to the visitors.

Lehigh answered with a solo home run from Trystan Crawford in the bottom of the seventh against Holy Cross reliever Brock Graf, cutting the deficit to 4-2. But the Crusaders put the game out of reach with a three-run eighth inning. The rally was fueled by a pinch-hit double from Ryan Grundy, a bases-loaded walk by Egrie to force in a run, and a two-run single by Connors.

Following Graf, who allowed one run over two innings, Holy Cross reliever Henry Harding closed the door with two perfect innings, striking out two to seal the victory. The Holy Cross bullpen combined with Volz to allow just three hits over the final four innings.

Egrie finished 3 for 4 with an RBI, a walk, and three stolen bases for Holy Cross. Crawford was a bright spot for Lehigh, going 2 for 4 with the solo homer. The Mountain Hawks collected 10 hits but stranded multiple runners and grounded into two double plays.

With the win, Holy Cross improves to 7-13 overall and 1-1 in Patriot League play. Lehigh falls to 4-13 and 1-1. The outcome defied, yet aligned with, the pregame projections from Interstat, whose game simulator had predicted a 4-2 Holy Cross victory and whose ELO system gave the Crusaders a 52.4% probability to win.

Holy Cross next hosts Harvard on Tuesday. Lehigh is scheduled to face Fairleigh Dickinson at home on Wednesday.