HATTIESBURG, Miss. – In a marathon defensive battle that stretched into extra innings, Marian pushed across the game's lone run in the top of the 11th to defeat William Carey on Monday night in the 2026 NAIA Softball Opening Round.
From the outset, both teams relied on dominant pitching and airtight defense, with scoring opportunities at a premium. Marian was retired in order in each of the first two innings, while the Lady Crusaders managed just one base runner in the opening frame. In the second,
Kinley Hogue reached and stole second but was ultimately left stranded.
The stalemate continued through the middle innings as neither lineup could generate sustained offense. Delaney Rundle recorded one of Marian's early hits with a single in the fourth, but the threat quickly fizzled. William Carey's best chance came in the fifth inning, when
Anna Grace Shows and
Liz Cross delivered back-to-back singles. However, Marian's defense held firm to keep the game scoreless.
William Carey threatened again with two hits in the fourth, highlighted by a double from Hogue, but a timely groundout ended the rally. Marian, meanwhile, struggled to capitalize on limited opportunities, leaving runners on base in the third, fourth, sixth and eighth innings.
Neither side could break through in the eighth, ninth or 10th innings as the pitchers remained in complete control. The Crusaders applied pressure in the 10th with a leadoff single, but a critical double play erased the threat and preserved the deadlock.
Marian finally broke through in the top of the 11th. Abbey Hofmann and Rundle opened the inning with back-to-back singles, putting runners in scoring position. After a groundout moved both runners up, Mati Hughes delivered the go ahead RBI groundout to shortstop, allowing Hofmann to score the game's first and only run.
William Carey had one final opportunity in the bottom half of the inning. Cross singled and advanced into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt, but Marian once again shut the door, inducing a pop-up to end the game and secure the victory.
William Carey returns to action Tuesday in an elimination game against the winner of Coastal Georgia and Columbia College. First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m. at Joseph & Nancy Fail Field.
