HATTIESBURG, Miss. – William Carey closed out its four-game weekend homestand in dominant fashion Saturday night, rolling past IU–Kokomo 18–4 in a run-rule victory at Milton Wheeler Field.
The Cougars struck first, taking advantage of early command issues from Carey starter
Holton Hartzog. Two walks and a stolen base set the table, leading to the game's opening run on a throwing error. Nate Montgomery followed with an RBI single to left to make it 2–0 before Hartzog settled in and limited the damage.
From that point on, the Crusaders seized control.
Carey got on the board in the bottom of the first with a bases-loaded walk, then erupted for four runs in the second inning. After a leadoff strikeout, consecutive walks sparked the rally.
DeeJay Booth tied the game with an RBI single to right, a wild pitch brought home another run, and
Tyler Ducksworth's groundout to short scored the third run of the inning.
Hays Carley capped the inning with a sharp RBI double down the left-field line, giving Carey a 5–2 lead.
The Crusaders kept the pressure on in the third, again taking advantage of free passes to load the bases. Booth was hit by a pitch to force in a run, and Ducksworth followed with a two-run single up the middle. Later,
Taylor Walters drew a bases-loaded walk to extend the lead to 9–2.
After a scoreless fourth, Carey tacked on three more runs in the fifth, helped by yet another bases-loaded walk and an RBI single from
Alan McClean. A throwing error on the play allowed an additional run to score, pushing the margin to 12–2.
IU–Kokomo scratched across a run in the sixth, but Carey answered with its biggest inning of the night. The Crusaders erupted for six runs on five hits, highlighted by back-to-back two-run doubles from
Franklin Hernandez and
Barron Frazer.
Roth John added a two-run single to stretch the lead to 18–3.
The Cougars plated their final run in the top of the seventh on a bases-loaded walk, sealing the 18–4 run-rule final.
Carey is back in action on Friday, February 20, as they take on Williams Baptist. First pitch of the double-header is scheduled for 3:00 pm at Milton Wheeler Field.
