DECATUR, Ala. – Lady Crusaders fall to Middle Georgia State 1-0 in the Championship Game of the SSAC Conference Tournament Sunday afternoon at the Wilson Morgan Softball Complex.
 
In their first game of the day, Carey faced off against MGA in a winner's bracket contest with the winner advancing to the championship game. The Knights struck first with two runs in the second inning. Back-to-back hits with a throwing error allowed the first run to score and put a runner on third base.
 
Mel Bullock followed with a sacrifice fly to center pushing another run across. Middle Georgia looked poised to extend their lead even further, as two straight singles put runners on first and second. However, starting pitcher Reanna Nieman retired the next two batters to limit the damage.
 
The Lady Crusaders got their offense going in the top of the third, as Kinley Hogue led off, reaching base on a hit by pitch and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Liz Cross followed with a single to left but Hogue was unable to advance. Lilli Robertson then laid down a sacrifice bunt.  Knights' pitcher, Emily Proctor made a play for the lead runner heading to third, but her throw was off the mark, sailing to the fence allowing Hogue and Cross to score.  Proctor then retired the next three batters ending the inning tied.
 
That would be all the offense Carey would get though with the Middle Georgia offense finding their stride in the fourth inning, as they jumped out to a commanding 8-2 advantage, scoring the six runs on six hits and would put the game away with two more runs in the fifth for the run rule victory.
 
The Lady Crusaders then set their sites towards UT-Southern in an elimination game with the winner advancing to take on MGA in the Championship Game. Carey jumped all over the Firehawks at the start, scoring three runs on three hits in the first inning.
 
Cross started the game with a single to third and advanced to second on a stolen base. Robertson followed reaching base on a throwing error, advancing to second with Cross scoring for the first run of the game.
 
In a mirror image of the previous play, Clark reached base on a throwing error, advancing to second with Robertson coming around to score to put Carey up 2-0. After two quick outs, Ryanne Hornsby capped the scoring in the inning, driving in Clark on a single to right.
 
WCU added to their lead with a run in the second on a Clark RBI single to left and another in the third on an Anna Grace Shows RBI fielder's choice. Clark made it a six-run advantage, launching a solo home run to left center in the fourth inning.
 
After being held scoreless in the fifth inning, the Lady Crusaders finished things off in the sixth inning with two runs. Robertson started, reaching base on a single and advanced to second on a defensive miscue before moving up to third on a wild pitch. Clark followed, adding to her RBI total with a single to left.
 
Albanie Fussell then stepped to the plate, driving a ball up the middle. As Clark raced home so did the throw from shortstop Lauren Pettie, but Clark was faster diving headfirst just ahead of the throw for the run rule victory.
 
The championship game was nothing like the first time Carey and MGA faced off earlier in the day. This game saw both pitchers locked in an intense battle with neither looking like they would break.
 
An early threat by Carey in the first on a two out triple by Clark was quickly shut down, as starting pitcher Proctor induced a routine groundout to end the inning. The bottom half of the inning saw the Knights get a runner to second before starting pitcher Hornsby retired the next two batters to end the threat.
 
The next three innings saw the Carey offense without a hit and Middle Georgia recording three hits but unable to make anything of them. However, in the bottom of the fifth inning, Bullock led off the inning with a double and would advance to third on a ground out by Riggins.
 
Hornsby moved one step closer to leaving Bullock stranded on third with another groundout, but Gabbie Haas had other thoughts, driving a ball to left field to score what would be the game winning run.
 
The Lady Crusaders would not go quietly, putting runners on base in the last two innings but the Knights turned inning ending double plays to secure the one run victory and the Championship.
 
The Lady Crusaders' season now hangs in the balance as they await to see if they will receive an at-large bid to the NAIA Softball Opening Rounds.