WORCESTER, Mass. (Interstat) — The Navy baseball team erupted for seven runs over the final four innings to pull away from Holy Cross 10-5 in the first game of a Patriot League doubleheader on Saturday.

The Midshipmen (26-14, 3-1 Patriot) broke open a tight contest late, overcoming a standout start by Holy Cross pitcher Derek Volz and capitalizing on Crusaders’ mistakes to secure their third straight win in the series.

Navy’s offense was held in check early by Volz, who retired the first 12 batters he faced. The Holy Cross right-hander did not allow a hit over four innings, striking out three. Meanwhile, the Crusaders (16-23, 2-5) chipped away at an early Navy lead.

The Midshipmen had taken advantage of control issues by Holy Cross starter Owen Phypers, who walked four and hit a batter in 4 2/3 innings. Holy Cross got on the board in the fourth when CJ Egrie led off with a solo home run. An RBI groundout by Ryan Grundy later in the inning scored Alex Sandell, who had singled, cutting Navy’s lead to 2-1.

Holy Cross added another run in the fifth on an RBI single by Egrie, chasing Phypers. Reliever Jackson Beattie entered with the bases loaded and two outs, striking out Grundy to end the threat and preserve a 3-2 Navy lead.

The game turned in the top of the sixth. After a pitching change, Navy’s Chris Klug led off with a solo home run to left field. Later in the inning, with two runners on, Noah Stead delivered an RBI single, and Tyler Cripe followed with a sacrifice fly to push the Navy lead to 6-3.

Navy extended its advantage in the seventh when Evan Brown hit a solo home run to center field. The Midshipmen added two more runs in the inning, one scoring on a passed ball and another on an RBI single by Stead, making it 9-3.

Holy Cross mounted a final rally in the ninth. Trailing 10-3 after a two-run, unearned home run by Cripe in the top of the inning, the Crusaders scored twice. An RBI hit-by-pitch by Sandell and a wild pitch brought home two runs, but reliever Aidan Healy recorded the final out with the bases loaded to seal the Navy victory.

Beattie earned the win with 3 2/3 innings of relief, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out four. Henry Harding took the loss for Holy Cross, surrendering six hits and two earned runs over three innings.

Egrie led the Holy Cross offense, going 3 for 4 with a home run, two RBIs and a sacrifice bunt. For Navy, Stead went 2 for 3 with two RBIs, Cripe drove in three runs, and Brown and Klug each homered.

The most important part of the game was the sixth-inning response by Navy. After Holy Cross had steadily closed the gap to a single run and had momentum, the Midshipmen immediately answered with a leadoff homer and a three-run inning. This offensive burst halted the Crusaders’ comeback and began the stretch of innings where Navy built an insurmountable lead.

The teams were scheduled to conclude the doubleheader later Saturday.