HATTIESBURG, Miss. – No. 8 William Carey dropped both games of a thrilling Friday double header to No. 3 Georgia Gwinnett at Milton Wheeler Field.
Carey had the first opportunity to score a run getting a runner a third in the first inning, but the Grizzles picked up an inning ending double play to work out of the jam. The Crusaders followed suit in the second inning and this time managed to push across the run on a
Bridley Thomas RBI groundout.
The one run lead held until fourth when GGC plated four runs on four hits to take a three-run lead. Carey got one of those runs back in the fifth on an RBI single by
Josh Alexander. That score held until the eighth inning, when Georgia Gwinnett plated three runs and extended their lead to 9-2 in the ninth with two more runs.
Carey would not go down quietly though, as they loaded the bases with no outs to start the ninth.
Rigoberto Hernandez drove in the first run on a sac fly to center with a
DeeJay Booth following with a walk to load the bases again.
Alexander then stepped to the plate, delivering a three RBI triple to center field to get WCU within three and would come in to score on an RBI groundout by
Preston Ratliff. However, Carey would get no closer, as relief pitcher Wyatt Dodgens struck out the next batter to seal the victory.
Things did not go well at the start of the second game, as the Grizzles jumped out to a five-run advantage on a grandslam and a solo shot to right field. The Crusader offense got going in the third, as Alexander continued his strong day at the plate with a single up the middle, scoring Hernandez and
Jerod Williams.
Carey followed the two run third with a four run fourth to take a 6-5 lead. With one out and runners on the corners,
Ty Little made it a two-run game, scoring
Tyler Ducksworth on an infield single. A strikeout and a single followed, loading the bases for Booth who dealt the big blow with a bases clearing triple to center field.
The lead would only last one inning though, as John Ponder delivered a two out solo homerun in the sixth inning to tie the game. Carey responded in the bottom half of the frame with two runs on a fielder's choice RBI by Booth and bases loaded hit by pitch to retake the lead.
Again, though the Grizzles answered in the next inning, scoring two runs on a triple down the right field line to take a 9-8 lead. With Carey down to their final out in the ninth inning, an errant throw extended the inning with back-to-back walks loading the bases.
It looked as if GGC was going to escape the inning inducing a ground ball to second, but another defensive miscue allowed Little to score from third to tie the game and send it into extra innings. Georgia Gwinnett wasted no time in retaking the lead on a Scott Seeker RBI double in the tenth.
Carey came out quickly in the bottom half of the inning, as Ratliff led the inning off with a single with
Eli Collins following with a double to left. However, with the potential tying run and game winning run in scoring position, relief pitcher Tyler E. Martin recorded three straight outs to end the threat and seal the one run victory.
Carey is scheduled to wrap up the series against GGC on Saturday with a single game beginning at 1:00 pm at Milton Wheeler Field. With severe weather forecast in the Hattiesburg area on Saturday check careyathletics.com or social media for any changes to the schedule.
