Holy Cross made history this past weekend, on both the baseball and softball field.
For baseball, Saturday’s 13-9 win over Lyman Memorial-Lebanon marked the first state championship in program history. In softball, the Crusaders beat St. Paul 4-0 on Friday night to capture the third consecutive title.
Each championship made its own mark, and both combined to give Holy Cross a truly historic weekend. We’ll start first with baseball, given it’s the first title in program history.
BASEBALL
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| Holy Cross baseball won its first state championship on Saturday. |
“We’ve had so many great players come through the halls and wear the green and gold as baseball players, and this is the first time we’re going to be able to hang a banner,” head coach Mike Phelan said. “That’s always been one of my goals, especially first, for our players. What a great group of kids I have. But also, for all of the alumni who played baseball here. I know they’re going to be just as happy as we are.”
“It’s something that we’ll never forget,” senior Matt Bonvicini said. “It’s awesome for the school and awesome for coach. I know he’s really wanted that for a long time now.”
“[Phelan] has been preaching to us that he wants that banner on the wall, and we not only did it for him, we did it for ourselves,” senior Adam Razza said. “I’m proud of everybody.”
Senior Nick Hernandez, who picked up the win in relief, had trouble finding a way to describe what happened Saturday.
“I’m just lost for words,” Hernandez said. “I’m so happy.”
In two previous appearances, Holy Cross lost state championship games to Plainville in 1994 (Class L) and 2008 (Class M). On Saturday, the 2017 Crusaders avenged those losses for their alumni, and they made a name for themselves.
“It’s an absolutely amazing feeling,” sophomore catcher Brian Parzyck said. “To be known as the team that put the first banner for baseball up in that school, it’s great.”
SOFTBALL
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| Senior Aubry DeFoe, Sarah Lawton, Emma Gargano and Gabby Goldman were part of a third straight state championship for Megan Dwyer’s Holy Cross softball program |
All Holy Cross did on Friday night was become the first Class S team since Coginchaug Regional of Durham to win three straight state championships. Coginchaug, long a softball power in Class S, did it from 1997 to 1999.
For standout pitcher Sarah Lawton and fellow seniors Aubry DeFoe, Gabby Goldman and Emma Gargano, they leave the program with three straight titles. When asked if she thought she would win three straight state championships, Lawton said simply, “No.”
“I didn’t really think about it until we got closer to states, but we did what we had to do,” Lawton said.
While baseball won with a bevy of seniors, softball had a bunch of young players in big spots. Sophomores Hannah and Allie Brown batted one and two in the lineup, and freshman Jenna Mowad rode a ball out of Biondi Field for a home run. Mowad ended up with a homer, double, two RBI and the game’s MVP.
How did it all come together again for Holy Cross? Mowad summed it up well.
“We do whatever it takes to be the best,” Mowad said.
Head coach Megan Dwyer saw extra focus from Lawton leading into her last game.
“I think that she recognized the fact that this was the last game that shed was putting this uniform on,” Dwyer said. “She wanted to get this team together, she was texting them all [Thursday night], getting them ready for this moment.”
Holy Cross has been ready for those moments for the last three years in softball. Baseball took its turn for the first time on Saturday, giving the Crusaders a weekend to remember.
