HATTIESBURG, Miss. – William Carey completed a dominant weekend at Milton Wheeler Field, finishing off a four-game sweep of Williams Baptist with a 13–4 victory before edging out the Eagles 2–1 in Saturday's finale.
Game One
Williams Baptist jumped on the board early when Cade Parks led off the game with a solo homer to left. The Eagles' 1–0 lead didn't last long, as the Crusaders responded with a six-run surge in the bottom of the second. Carey loaded the bases on walks and a hit-by-pitch, setting the table for
Cam Senior to tie the game after being hit by a pitch.
A wild pitch pushed another run across, and
Tanner Ladner followed with a two-run double down the left-field line. Moments later,
DeeJay Booth added another two-run double, giving Carey a commanding 6–1 lead.
Williams Baptist trimmed the margin to 6–3 in the third with a pair of runs sparked by a Luke Bullins single and another hit from Parks. Gavin Mink's groundout brought home one run, and Lawson Aaron's sacrifice fly added another. Carey answered in the bottom half, as Senior singled in a run to push the lead to 7–3. WBU scratched across one more in the fourth, making it 7–4.
The Crusaders quickly put the game out of reach. Booth launched a two-run homer to right-center in the bottom of the fourth, and Carey followed with three straight RBI singles from
Taylor Walters, Senior, and
Roth John to extend the margin to 12–4. Walters later brought in the final run of the game with a sacrifice fly in the fifth.
Game Two
Carey struck first in the opening frame. After Booth drew a one-out walk,
Tyler Ducksworth ripped a run-scoring double to right-center to make it 1–0.
Jayden Mark later walked, and
Hays Carley reached scoring position on a wild pitch, but a groundout ended the early threat.
Williams Baptist answered in the second when Connor Brinkley doubled and Mason Andrews bunted for a single. With runners at the corners, Will Riley dropped down a bunt that resulted in a throwing error, allowing Brinkley to score the tying run. Carey starter
Holton Hartzog responded by striking out Hayden Graves and Bullins before a groundout stranded two runners.
The Crusaders reclaimed the lead immediately in the bottom half of the inning. Senior singled, stole second, and later scored on
Gage Hinnant's sacrifice fly — the eventual game-winning run in a tightly contested 2–1 matchup.
From there, pitching and defense carried the Crusaders home. Hartzog delivered five strong innings, facing the minimum in the third and fourth and working around a two-out single in the fifth. Reliever
Jimmie Johnson handled the final two frames, navigating a pair of singles and inducing a key 1–6–4 double play in the seventh before ending the game with a strikeout to secure the sweep.
William Carey returns to action on Tuesday, February 24, against Talladega College at Silsby Baseball Field. First pitch is set for 1:00 p.m.
