MOBILE, Ala. – The Lady Crusaders closed out the regular season with a split against Mobile on Saturday afternoon, falling 4–3 in a hard-fought extra-inning opener before rebounding with a 2–0 shutout victory in the finale.
Carey struck first in the opening frame of game one.
Liz Cross led off with a single and moved into scoring position following a passed ball and a sacrifice bunt by
Brooklynn Montana.
Caroline Lindsey then lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to bring Cross home, giving the Lady Crusaders an early 1–0 lead.
Mobile answered in the second inning, as Madeline Houk doubled up the middle to score Bethany Dean and even the score at 1–1. After a scoreless third, the Rams took their first lead of the game in the fourth when Houk recorded her second double of the afternoon and later scored on Daryelin Rivas' single through the left side to put Mobile ahead 2–1.
The Lady Crusaders threatened in the middle innings, putting two runners on in the third but were unable to capitalize. Carey broke through again in the sixth when Lindsey sparked the offense with a lead off double, followed by a single from
Albanie Fussell to place runners on the corners.
Kinley Hogue laid down a bunt that forced a defensive miscue, allowing Lindsey to cross the plate with the tying run. Mobile, however, limited the damage by retiring the next three batters.
Both teams were kept off the scoreboard through the seventh and eighth innings before Carey regained the lead in the ninth. Consecutive singles by Harper Dupré,
Anna Grace Shows, and Cross pushed across the go-ahead run to make it 3–2. Mobile responded quickly in the bottom half, as Diana Arcay doubled to left-center to bring home the tying run. Moments later, Lillie Lanham delivered the walk-off RBI single to left field, completing the Rams' comeback and securing the 4–3 extra-inning victory.
After the back-and-forth opener, Carey came out with purpose in game two, setting the tone immediately in the top of the first inning. Cross once again led off with a single up the middle, and Montana followed with a perfectly placed sacrifice bunt. Lindsey then drove a double to right field to score the game's first run. Lindsey later advanced on a wild pitch and came home on a passed ball, giving the Lady Crusaders a quick 2–0 lead and early momentum.
Carey continued to pressure the Mobile defense throughout the game, consistently putting runners on base. Cross recorded multiple hits, while Fussell and Dupré also reached safely multiple times. The Lady Crusaders took advantage of Rams defensive errors in the third and fourth innings to create scoring opportunities but were unable to add to their lead.
Mobile threatened in the second inning, but starting pitcher
Ryanne Hornsby induced a key groundout to escape the jam. Carey's defense continued to shine in the middle innings, stranding runners in the third, fourth, and fifth to maintain the shutout.
Carey had another opportunity in the seventh when Lindsey reached on an error and Fussell worked a four-pitch walk, yet Mobile again wiggled free without damage. In the bottom of the seventh, the Rams mounted one final push by putting a runner aboard, but the Lady Crusaders shut the door once more to preserve the 2–0 victory.
The Lady Crusaders now turn their attention to the SSAC Conference Tournament, scheduled for April 30–May 2 at the Wilson Morgan Softball Complex in Decatur, Ala.
