Jackson, Tenn.- the 10^th ranked Crusaders fell in the SSAC Tournament Championship game today at Rockabilly Stadium to Loyola- New Orleans. Both teams will represent the SSAC in the NAIA Opening Round in a couple of weeks.
 
Loyola pushed the first runs across the board right out of the gate. Three straight two out hits, including an RBI double off the wall in left field, put the Wolfpack up 2-0 before Carey starter Luke Lycette could work out of the jam. The Crusaders went in order in the bottom half.
 
Carey loaded the bases in the bottom of the second on two straight walks to Eli Collins and Tyler Ducksworth followed by an infield single by Brayden Coffey. However, a diving play on a hard line-drive to center off the bat of Ty Little erased the threat and kept the score 2-0 in favor of Loyola.
 
The Wolfpack broke the game open in the top of the 4^th inning. A leadoff walk, sacrifice bunt, walk, and an intentional walk loaded the bases with two outs. The next hitter bounced a chopper back to the mound off the glove of Lycette to plate another run. That was immediately followed by a groundball through the six hole to bring in two more runs and push the lead to 5-0. Lycette struck the next hitter out to finish the inning, but the damage was done.
 
Carey finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth. A leadoff single by Collins was followed by a double from Ducksworth. Bridley Thomas knocked the first run in on a single to center. Hayes Carley, pinch hitting for Coffey, brought the second run across the plate with an RBI groundout to third base. After four innings, the Crusaders trailed 5-2.
 
In the top half of the fifth, the Wolfpack got a run back. A leadoff single to left, a bunt single, a sacrifice bunt, and a wild pitch pushed the lead back to four. Lycette enticed a strike out from the next hitter before delivering his sixth walk of the day chasing him in favor of Conner Wilson. The final book on Lycette was 4 2/3 innings pitched with six runs on nine hits and four punchouts. Another passed ball plated the second run of the inning before Wilson worked out of the jam with a pop-up to shortstop.
 
Carey got a run back in the bottom of the fifth on a solo shot over the right field wall off the bat of DeeJay Booth cutting the deficit to 7-3. However, Loyola put two more on the board in the top of the 6^th. A leadoff walk, a single, and a run scoring wild pitch forced Crusader skipper Bobby Halford to go to the bullpen again. Lane Jarreau came in and got the Crusaders out of the inning, but not before another sacrifice fly put the Wolfpack up 9-3.
 
Carey got back in the game in the bottom of the sixth scoring three runs to cut the Wolfpack lead to 9-6. Ducksworth and Thomas both drew walks. Jayden Mark moved them up with a groundball to first base before Little knocked in both with a single to right. Hernandez followed with a double down the right field line putting runners at second and third with one out. Booth brought in the last run of the inning with an RBI groundout to shortstop.
 
Jarreau kept the Wolfpack off the board in the seventh and Preston Ratliff moved from first base to the mound to work a clean eighth. Carey cut the lead to two in the bottom of the eighth on a DeeJay Booth RBI single to left field after Jerod Williams worked a one out walk and moved to third on an error by the third baseman. Two strikeouts got Loyola out of the jam, and we went to the ninth with a two-run game. The Crusaders threatened in the ninth but weren't able to close the deal.
 
Next up for the Crusaders is the NAIA Opening Round. Carey was selected earlier this week to serve as one of ten host sites. The winner of that tournament will advance to the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho. The pairings will be announced on Thursday and the tournament will begin on May 12^th at Milton Wheeler Field.