MOBILE, Ala. – The William Carey baseball team dropped both ends of a Saturday doubleheader against the Mobile Rams, falling 7–6 in the opener before suffering a heartbreaking 9–8 loss in 12 innings in the series finale.
Carey jumped out to an early advantage in game one, scoring three runs on just one hit in the top of the first inning.
Gage Hinnant drew a leadoff walk before
DeeJay Booth followed with a single. An error by Mobile's third baseman allowed Hinnant to score the opening run, and
Taylor Walters added a sacrifice fly to right field. Carey capped the inning when another run crossed the plate on a balk, giving the Crusaders a 3–0 lead without an extra-base hit.
Mobile answered right away in the bottom half of the inning, cutting the deficit to one. Walks to Eli Smith and Weston Tubbs set the stage before an error and an RBI groundout from Adrian Salas made it a 3–2 game after one.
Following a scoreless second inning, the Rams took their first lead of the afternoon in the third. With the bases loaded, Damian Ortiz and Ethan Plank each worked RBI walks to push Mobile ahead 4–3. The Rams continued to add on in the fourth, as Salas singled up the middle to score Tubbs and extend the lead to 5–3.
Mobile created more separation in the sixth inning when Salas delivered again, driving in two runs with a single to right-center to make it 7–3.
The Crusaders made things interesting in their final at-bat. Carey loaded the bases in the seventh inning, and Booth drew a bases-loaded walk to bring home a run.
Hays Carley followed with a two-run single up the middle to pull WCU within one, but Mobile closed the door to secure the 7–6 victory.
Game two saw Mobile strike first with a run in the bottom of the opening frame. After three scoreless innings, Carey's offense came alive in the fifth. A walk and a sacrifice bunt set the table before Carley knocked in a run with a single to tie the game. Moments later, Walters delivered the big blow of the inning, ripping a three-run triple to right-center to give Carey a 4–1 lead.
The momentum carried into the sixth as the Crusaders added three more runs. Singles from
Alan McClean and Hinnant, paired with productive outs from Carley and
Jayden Mark, helped push the lead to 7–1. A passed ball later in the inning accounted for the third run in the innings.
Mobile chipped away in the bottom of the sixth, capitalizing on a bases-loaded hit by pitch and a passed ball to make it 7–3. The Rams then rallied in the eighth, scoring four runs on three hits to tie the game and force extra innings.
Carey briefly regained the lead in the 10th when a balk allowed Carley to score from third. Mobile once again responded in the bottom half, as Hilpert lifted a sacrifice fly to even the score.
Both teams traded scoreless frames until the 12th. Carey was unable to capitalize after Walters was hit by a pitch and later stole second. In the bottom of the inning, Mobile put two runners on with two outs, and a defensive miscue allowed the game-winning run to cross the plate, sealing the Rams' extra-inning victory.
The Crusaders return to action Tuesday, March 31, when they host LSU-Alexandria in non-conference play. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Milton Wheeler Field.
