WORCESTER, Mass. (Interstat) — Jaden Wywoda pitched a complete seven-inning shutout, striking out nine and allowing three hits as Holy Cross defeated Lehigh 9-0 in the first game of a Patriot League doubleheader Saturday.

Wywoda, the top star for the Crusaders, faced only four batters over the minimum, walking none. He retired the last 11 batters he faced. The victory improved Holy Cross to 18-24 overall, while Lehigh dropped to 12-28.

Holy Cross broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the first. CJ Egrie doubled down the left-field line, stole third and scored on a wild pitch by Lehigh starter Sam Fairhurst. Ryan Grundy, who had walked and stole second, also came home on a groundout by Gianni Royer, giving the Crusaders a 2-0 lead after one inning.

Fairhurst lasted five innings despite not allowing a hit. He issued four walks and struck out five, but five earned runs crossed the plate on a combination of wild pitches, stolen bases and productive outs. The Crusaders added a run in the third when Alex Sandell singled, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Royer’s single through the left side to make it 3-0.

Lehigh’s best scoring chance came in the top of the fourth. Aidan Quinn singled to lead off, and with two outs Ian Wirtz and Dom Patrizi both walked to load the bases. But Jack Frankovic flied out to right field to end the threat.

The Crusaders broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth. After Sandell singled and Grundy struck out, Royer launched a two-run home run to left field, scoring Sandell and pushing the lead to 5-0. It was Royer’s third hit of the day, and he finished with five runs batted in.

Holy Cross added four unearned runs in the sixth, taking advantage of two Lehigh errors and wild pitching. With Noah Gyauch-Quirk on in relief, Nick Andersen reached on a fielding error by second baseman Dom Patrizi, and Simon Landry reached on an error by shortstop Owen Walewander. After a walk loaded the bases, a wild pitch scored Andersen. Another wild pitch brought home Landry. Later, a hit-by-pitch on Ryan Grundy forced in another run, and Royer’s sacrifice fly to center field scored Egrie, making it 9-0.

Tommy Lamar pitched two-thirds of an inning of scoreless relief for Lehigh, and Gyauch-Quirk recorded one out. The Mountain Hawks managed only three hits, all singles: Quinn in the fourth, Robbie Carvelli in the fifth and Jasper Adelman in the seventh.

For Holy Cross, Sandell went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Egrie logged a double and a run. The Crusaders stole three bases and used aggressive baserunning to keep pressure on the Lehigh defense.

Lehigh had won three of its previous four games, including a 38-6 rout of Coppin State on April 14, but the Mountain Hawks could not solve Wywoda, who threw 93 pitches, 66 for strikes. Wywoda’s previous outing came April 17 against Navy, when he allowed three earned runs over seven innings in a loss.

The doubleheader marked the second meeting between the two teams after Holy Cross swept a three-game series at Lehigh in March. The Crusaders have now won four straight against the Mountain Hawks.

Lehigh and Holy Cross are scheduled to play the second game of the doubleheader later Saturday, followed by a single game Sunday.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Lehigh 5, Holy Cross 2. Interstat’s ELO system gave Holy Cross a 57.70 percent probability to win.