WORCESTER, Mass. (Interstat) — The Holy Cross Crusaders erupted for six runs in a chaotic bottom of the first inning, erasing an early four-run deficit and setting the tone for an 11-5 victory over the Army Black Knights in the first game of a Patriot League doubleheader on Saturday.

The game’s decisive moment came immediately after Army shortstop Thomas Schreck launched a two-run homer in the top of the first, staking the Black Knights to a 5-0 lead before Holy Cross had swung a bat. The Crusaders’ response in their half of the inning was swift and capitalized heavily on Army miscues.

Holy Cross sent 12 batters to the plate, scoring six runs on only four hits while benefiting from a critical fielding error, a passed ball and a wild pitch. Only one of the six runs was earned. CJ Egrie’s two-run single to left center capped the outburst, plating the final two runs to give Holy Cross a 6-5 lead it would not relinquish.

The offensive explosion made a winner of Holy Cross starter Jaden Wywoda, who settled in after the rocky first inning. Wywoda pitched five full innings, allowing three hits and two earned runs while striking out six. His performance stabilized the game after the frenetic start, handing the ball to a bullpen that closed the door.

Egrie led the Crusaders’ 15-hit attack, going 3 for 4 with three RBIs. Alex Sandell added two hits and two RBIs, while Colin Brown and Ryan Grundy each drove in two runs. Reliever Jake Lenahan struck out four over two innings of work to help seal the win.

For Army, which managed only five hits, Schreck was the lone bright spot. The shortstop went 2 for 4 with a home run and four RBIs, accounting for nearly all of his team’s offense. His first-inning homer and a later RBI single were not enough to overcome the early defensive lapses.

Army starter Andrew Berg was charged with the loss, though only three of the seven runs he allowed over 3 1/3 innings were earned. The Black Knights’ defense committed two errors behind him in the fateful first inning.

Holy Cross added single runs in the fourth and fifth innings before pulling away with two more in the sixth on back-to-back RBI hits from Grundy and Brown.

The victory improved Holy Cross to 11-16 overall, while Army fell to 15-12. The result defied pregame projections from Interstat, whose game simulator had predicted an 8-5 Army win and gave the Black Knights a 60.2% probability of victory.

The two teams were scheduled to conclude the doubleheader later Saturday.