HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The William Carey Baseball team opened up their 2023 season with a couple of thrilling games, taking game one 9-8 but dropping game two 5-4 in extra innings, Saturday afternoon at Milton Wheeler Field.
In game one, The Crusaders found themselves down 2-0 after back to back hits by the Tigers in the first inning. WCU would get one run back in the bottom of the second on a
Braydon Coffey single but CU answered with a homerun in the top the third to make it 3-1. However, the two run lead would be short lived as
Jake Lycette launched a two run homer to right field in the bottom half to tie things up.
Both teams traded runs in the fourth but Campbellsville would get a run fifth and two more in the sixth to make it 7-4. The Crusaders were not done though, as the offense erupted for five runs in the bottom of the seventh.
Preston Ratliff got things going scoring
Jake Lycette with a single to right.
Caleb Laird then delivered a bases loaded single to left scoring two runs to tie the game at seven.
Coffey followed with a sac fly to center and
Rigoberto Hernandez capped the scoring with a single up the middle to make it 9-7 Carey. The Tigers managed to push across a run in the eighth but relief pitcher
John Snyder got back to back outs to end the threat and worked a clean ninth to pick up save and secure the win.
Game two did not disappoint either.
Billy Garrity put WCU up 1-0 in the first, scoring
RJ Stinson with a single to right center. The 1-0 lead would hold until the third on a Noah Amenta RBI single.
Patrick Lee would give WCU the lead again in the fifth with a RBI double to centerfield. However, CU answered with two runs in the top of sixth to take a 3-2 lead.
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Lee ripped a double to the wall in the left center to keep the inning going. Lee would advance to third on an error then scored on a passed ball to send the game to extra innings.
Heading into extra innings, the Tigers had the answer once again plating two runs in the top of the eighth to take a 5-3 lead. In the bottom half of the inning, Ratliff led off the inning with a solo shot to left center but CU relief pitcher Chad McCann got three straight outs to end the game.
Carey is back in action tomorrow, as they wrap up the series against Campbellsville. First pitch is slated for 1:00 pm at Milton Wheeler Field.
