WORCESTER, Mass. (Interstat) — The Holy Cross Crusaders used a potent offensive outburst and a dominant relief effort to complete a weekend sweep of the Army Black Knights with a 10-2 victory in Patriot League baseball action Monday evening at Fitton Field.

The game, which began in the afternoon and concluded under the lights, saw Holy Cross erase an early two-run deficit with a relentless attack, scoring in four separate innings to secure its third straight win over Army in as many days.

Army (15-14) struck first in the opening inning. Thomas Schreck and Josiah Overbeek worked walks, and Jack Quinlan followed with a single to right-center, driving in Schreck. The Black Knights managed only two more hits the rest of the way against a parade of Holy Cross pitchers.

Holy Cross (13-16) answered immediately in the bottom of the first against Army starter Trey Ates. CJ Egrie was hit by a pitch and scored on Braden Connors’ triple to center. Alex Sandell then singled home Connors to tie the game 2-2.

The Crusaders took the lead for good in the third inning. Connors was hit by a pitch, Sandell singled, and Ryan Grundy delivered an RBI single. Simon Landry followed with a run-scoring groundout, and Nick Andersen’s RBI single, compounded by a left field error, pushed the lead to 5-2.

The most important sequence of the game came in the bottom of the fourth inning, which broke the contest open. After a pitching change, Owen Stelzer walked. Following a lineout, Connors launched a two-run home run to right field off reliever Anthony Ramirez, extending the Holy Cross lead to 7-2.

Holy Cross put the game out of reach in the sixth. With two outs and two on, John LaFleur connected for a three-run homer to right field, scoring Sandell and Grundy to establish the final 10-2 margin.

The Crusaders’ pitching staff, led by starter Derek Volz, stifled the Army lineup. Volz earned the win, allowing one earned run on one hit over 4 2/3 innings, striking out six. Reliever Nick Harnisch was exceptional in relief, throwing 2 1/3 perfect innings and striking out four. Jakob Vanderhave provided two scoreless innings of relief for Army.

Connors led the Holy Cross offense, going 2-for-4 with a triple, a home run, three RBIs and three runs scored. Sandell added two hits, an RBI, and three runs scored. LaFleur’s three RBIs came on his sixth-inning homer. For Army, Mason Scott delivered a pinch-hit RBI double in the ninth for the final run.

The result defied pregame projections from Interstat, whose game simulator had predicted a 7-6 Army victory and whose ELO system gave the Black Knights a 58.7% probability to win.

Holy Cross has now won four of five meetings with Army this season. The Crusaders next host Stonehill on Tuesday. Army travels to face Fairfield on Tuesday before a Patriot League series at Lehigh this weekend.