HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Lady Crusaders built an early cushion and never relinquished control Tuesday night, defeating Coastal Georgia 7–2 in an elimination game of the 2026 NAIA Softball Opening Round.
William Carey wasted no time setting the tone in the bottom of the first inning.
Caroline Lindsey reached after being hit by a pitch, and
Kinley Hogue followed with a single to put two runners on with two outs.
Albanie Fussell delivered the early breakthrough, ripping a double down the left field line to score both runners and give Carey a 2–0 lead.
The momentum carried into the third inning, where the Lady Crusaders added to their advantage with another multi-run frame. Lindsey once again reached base and later came home on a sacrifice fly from
Julia Shaw. Shortly after,
Ryanne Hornsby added to the lead with an RBI single, stretching the margin to 4–0.
Coastal Georgia answered in the top of the fourth with its most productive inning of the night. A leadoff single followed by a double put two runners in scoring position, and Rily Andrews capitalized with a two-run double to center field, trimming the deficit to 4–2.
Any momentum for the Mariners was short-lived, however, as Carey responded immediately in the bottom half of the inning. Fussell continued her standout performance with an RBI single up the middle to restore a three-run lead.
The Lady Crusaders tacked on insurance runs late, adding one in the fifth on an RBI single from
Liz Cross and another in the sixth when Fussell drove in her fourth run of the game.
Jayden Sawyer and the Carey defense took care of the rest, retiring nine of the final ten Coastal Georgia hitters to secure the victory.
William Carey returns to action Wednesday against Georgia Gwinnett in another elimination game. First pitch is set for 12:00 p.m. at Joseph & Nancy Fail Field.
