HATTIESBURG, Miss. – William Carey survived a back-and-forth battle Tuesday night, edging Talladega College 8–7 at Milton Wheeler Field.
 
Talladega struck first in the top of the second inning when Manuel Martinez doubled into the right-center gap and later scored on Diego Duque's RBI single to center, giving the Tornadoes a 1–0 advantage. Carey was kept off the scoreboard through two innings, but the Crusaders broke through in the third with a four-run surge.
 
After a hit batter and a balk put two runners in scoring position, DeeJay Booth tied the game with an RBI single. A throwing error by the pitcher allowed Booth to score the go-ahead run, and Jayden Mark followed with an RBI double to right-center. Weston Wales capped the inning with an RBI single, pushing Carey out to a 4–1 lead.
 
The Tornadoes answered in the fourth, capitalizing on a Carey error to pull within 4–2 as Eli Payne delivered an RBI single to center. William Carey responded immediately in the bottom half of the frame when Hays Carley drove in an unearned run with a single to right-center, restoring a three-run cushion.
 
Talladega continued to chip away in the fifth, scoring three unearned runs without recording a hit. Multiple Carey miscues allowed the Tornadoes to knot the game at 5–5, with RBI opportunities created by Armando Jackson, Manuel Martinez, and Miguel Rubio.
 
The Crusaders' offense regained control in the bottom of the inning. Carey scored three runs, highlighted by an RBI hit-by-pitch and a two-run single from Taylor Walters, reclaiming an 8–5 advantage.
 
Talladega refused to go quietly, scoring once in the seventh on another defensive miscue. The Tornadoes made things interesting again in the ninth when Payne singled home Adrian Epps to cut the deficit to one. However, Carey reliever Jimmie Johnson shut the door, inducing a groundout to third to strand two runners and secure the victory.
 
William Carey returns to action Friday, April 17, when the Crusaders travel to Thomasville, Ga., for an SSAC matchup against Thomas University. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.