Decatur, Ala. – William Carey opened play in the 2026 SSAC Softball Championship with a pair of victories on Thursday, defeating Thomas University 7–3 before blanking Blue Mountain Christian 4–0 at the Wilson Morgan Sports Complex.
Game One: William Carey 7, Thomas 3
Thomas struck first with a run in the first inning. Ava Nunez led off with a single, moved into scoring position, and scored on Alexis Adams' RBI single down the right-field line to give the Nighthawks a 1–0 lead.
William Carey answered immediately in the bottom half. After putting runners aboard,
Albanie Fussell lifted a sacrifice fly to tie the game, and
Julia Shaw followed with an RBI single to give the Lady Crusaders a 2–1 advantage.
The back-and-forth continued in the second. Thomas evened the score at 2–2 when a wild pitch allowed Ashlyn Powell to score, but Carey responded again in the bottom of the inning.
Brooklynn Montana delivered an RBI single to put the Lady Crusaders back on top, 3–2.
The turning point came in the third, when William Carey broke the game open. Taking advantage of timely hitting and a Thomas defensive miscue,
Jayden Sawyer drove in a run with a single before
Harper Dupre delivered the biggest swing of the inning, driving a two-run double to left to push the lead to 6–2.
Carey added an insurance run in the fifth when
Kinley Hogue sparked the offense with an inside-the-park home run, stretching the margin to 7–2. Thomas scratched across a run in the sixth, but the Lady Crusaders never let the momentum shift.
Ryanne Hornsby closed strong, retiring the next four batters to secure the 7–3 win.
Game Two: William Carey 4, Blue Mountain Christian 0
After retiring Blue Mountain in order to open the game, William Carey wasted little time taking control in the bottom of the first.
Brooklynn Montana ignited the rally with a single to right-center, and
Caroline Lindsey followed with a hit down the left-field line to put two runners on with one out.
A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, and Fussell came through again, driving a single up the middle to bring home Montana. Moments later, after a walk loaded the bases, Sawyer drew a bases-loaded free pass to force in Lindsey and extend the lead to 2–0.
Blue Mountain Christian struggled to mount sustained pressure early, managing only two baserunners through the first four innings. The Toppers' best opportunity came in the fourth when Mikaylah Fuqua doubled down the left-field line and advanced to third on a wild pitch, but a pair of popups and a groundout kept the shutout intact.
William Carey created more separation in the fourth. Sawyer worked a leadoff walk, and pinch runner
Mackenzie Smith moved into scoring position during a two-hit sequence. Montana then lifted a sacrifice fly to left to score Smith and make it 3–0.
The Lady Crusaders added their final run in the sixth.
Anna Grace Shows and
Liz Cross reached on walks and both advanced on a wild pitch. Montana grounded into a double play, but the contact allowed Shows to score, pushing the lead to 4–0.
In the circle, Sawyer earned the complete-game win, allowing just three hits while striking out six over seven innings.
William Carey returns to action tomorrow, facing the winner of Faulkner vs. Mobile at 10:00 a.m. at the Wilson Morgan Sports Complex
