HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The William Carey Baseball Team held on for a 16-13 victory over Loyola University, Saturday night at Milton Wheeler Field to force the if necessary game of the 2023 SSAC Baseball Championship.

The Crusaders came out swinging, building a 7-0 lead over two innings.  Bobby Lada plated the first run of the game in the first inning with a single to center and in the second inning WCU scored six runs on five hits.

RJ Stinson got things going with a RBI single to right and Jake Lycette made it 4-0 Carey with a two RBI single to left.  A sac fly by Preston Ratliff scored Lada and a bases loaded two RBI single by Braydon Coffey capped the scoring.

However, the Wolfpack responded in the bottom half of the inning with four runs to cut the deficit to 7-4 but in the third the Crusaders extended their lead to eight. 

Carey started the inning off with a Kris Jones solo homerun and after a single by Stinson and fly out by Lada, Lycette doubled down the right field line to put runners on second and third.  Ratliff followed with a two RBI single to center and would score on a Rigoberto Hernandez double to right to make it 10-4.  The final runs of the frame would come on a RBI ground out by Coffey and a wild pitch.

The Loyola offense kept on battling and by the sixth inning the deficit was just three with score being 13-10.  Once again the Crusaders answered with three runs in the seventh getting RBIs from Coffey and Jones (2).  The Wolfpack would get a run in the eighth and another in the ninth but could no closer.

Caeleb Williams picked up the win on the mound in relief going 2.1 innings allowing two runs on three hits with John Snyder got the save going 3.2 innings.

WCU will face-off against Loyola at 4:00 pm with the winner taking on the winner of Mobile and Falkner at 7:00 pm for the SSAC Conference Title.