HATTIESBURG, Miss. – With two games left in the regular season and needing just one win to clinch the SSAC Regular Season Title, No. 9 William Carey picked up a game one win in a Saturday doubleheader at Milton Wheeler Field to claim their second regular season title in the last three years.
"I am so proud of our guys staying the course and winning the regular season Championship with all the injuries that we have experienced," said Head Coach
Bobby Halford. "I can't say enough of
Luke Lycette in his first start to throw a complete pressure filled game. Since we have been struggling with our starting pitching due to injuries. We knew we needed a quality start which we got today. Ratliff and
Eli Collins got the big homers, and the back of our order really did the job.
Ty Little,
Hays Carley and
Braydon Coffey did the small ball job that helped win the clincher."
After rain pushed the games from Friday to Saturday, Loyola started just like they had in the Thursday game with a run in the first inning this time on a solo homerun by Garrett Felix. This time though, the Carey offense got the hits they needed to take a 3-1 lead in the second inning.
Preston Ratliff opened the inning off with a solo shot to left center to tie the game.
Tyler Ducksworth and
Hays Carley hit back-to-back singles before a wild pitch allowed Ducksworth to score the go ahead run. Two batters later,
Ty Little drove in the final run of the frame on an RBI groundout.
The Crusaders added to their lead in the fourth, as Little picked up his second RBI of the game on a single to center to make it 4-1. The Wolfpack got that run back in the top of fifth on a solo homerun by Collin Zeringue. However, in the bottom half of the inning,
Eli Collins sent a shot to straight away center that bounced off the top of the wall and over to push the Carey lead to four.
Starting pitcher
Luke Lycette took care of the rest, as he set Loyola down in order over the final two innings to seal the victory. For the game, Lycette allowed just two runs on eight hits while striking out nine to earn the win.
The final game of the series started just like the first two except it was in the second inning that the Wolfpack took the one run lead and made it 2-0 with a run in the third.
DeeJay Booth erased deficit in a single swipe in the bottom of the inning, launching a two-run homer to centerfield.
The game was not tied long though, as Loyola picked up runs in the fourth, fifth, and seventh innings to take a 5-2 lead and added a couple of insurance runs in the ninth inning. Down to their final three outs, Carey could only muster a lone consolation run on a solo homerun by Ratliff.
Next up for the Crusaders will be the SSAC Conference Tournament being held April 30 through May 3, at Rockabillys Stadium in Jackson, Tenn. WCU will take on the number eight seed on Wednesday, April 30, at 7:00 pm.
