LEWISTON, Idaho – William Carey opened play at the 2026 Avista NAIA World Series with a statement win, upsetting No. 1 seed Taylor (Ind.), 7–4.
Taylor struck first in the bottom of the opening inning, as Brayden Manning delivered an RBI single to right field to give the Trojans a 1–0 lead.
William Carey answered immediately in the second, plating three runs on three hits. With two runners in scoring position,
Gage Hinnant tied the game with an RBI single before
Alan McClean followed with a run-scoring double.
DeeJay Booth capped the rally with an RBI groundout, lifting the Crusaders to a 3–1 advantage.
Both pitching staffs settled in from there. Taylor stranded multiple runners in scoring position over the next few innings, including leaving the bases loaded in the fourth, while the Carey offense cooled during the middle frames.
Booth reignited the Crusaders in the fifth inning, launching a solo home run to center field to extend the lead to 4–1. Taylor, however, responded with its strongest offensive push in the sixth. RBI singles from Rylee Singleton and Luke Sutter, combined with a run scored on a wild pitch, evened the game 4–4.
After scoreless seventh and eighth innings that saw both teams leave runners on base, William Carey delivered the decisive blow in the ninth. Hinnant started things with a one-out double, and
Taylor Walters followed with an RBI single to right field to put the Crusaders back in front. Moments later,
Jayden Mark broke the game open with a two-run double off the center field wall, extending the lead to 7–4.
Taylor mounted a final threat in the bottom of the ninth, putting the first two runners on base, but reliever
Jimmie Johnson induced a game-ending double play to secure the victory.
Offensively, Carey was led by Booth and Mark, who each drove in two runs with Hinnant adding two hits and two runs scored. Johnson earned the win in relief, allowing just one hit while striking out three over 3.2 innings.
William Carey returns to action Monday, May 25, when it faces Mid-America Christian. First pitch is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. at Harris Field.
