HATTIESBURG, Miss. – William Carey broke open a tight contest with a decisive middle-innings surge, pulling away from Faulkner University for a 10–3 victory Friday night at Milton Wheeler Field.
 
After a scoreless opening frame, the Crusaders struck first in the bottom of the second inning. Taylor Walters doubled down the left-field line and later came home on Cam Senior's single to left, giving Carey an early 1–0 lead.
 
Faulkner answered in the top of the fourth, using a solo home run by Edrien Martínez followed by an RBI single from CJ Robertson to briefly move in front, 2–1. The lead was short-lived, however, as Carey responded emphatically in the bottom of the fifth with a six-run rally that swung the momentum for good.
 
Jayden Mark delivered the key hit of the inning, ripping a two-run double to left-center to score Gage Hinnant and Tyler Ducksworth. Walters followed with an RBI single, and the Crusaders tacked on three more runs via multiple walks and a hit-by-pitch to take a commanding 7–2 advantage.
 
Carey continued to add on in the sixth inning when Franklin Hernandez lined a two-run single to right field, extending the lead to 9–2. Faulkner scratched across a run in the seventh on Orlando Arellano's RBI single, but the Crusaders answered once more in the eighth as Hinnant drove in a run with a single to cap the scoring.
 
Matthew Davis earned the win on the mound, working seven innings and allowing three runs on six hits while striking out 10.
 
William Carey returns to action today, closing out the series with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. at Milton Wheeler Field.