LEWISTON, Idaho – The William Carey Crusaders advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 Avista NAIA World Series with a dominant 17–7 run-rule victory over Southeastern (Fla.) Wednesday night at Harris Field.
Carey wasted no time taking control, striking early in the first inning. After loading the bases with two walks and a hit batter,
Hays Carley delivered a clutch two-run double off the right-field wall. An ensuing error extended the inning and allowed two more runs to score, giving the Crusaders a 4–0 lead despite collecting just one hit in the frame.
The momentum carried into the second inning as
Franklin Hernandez ripped a two-run double down the left-field line to extend the advantage to 6–0.
Southeastern found some offensive rhythm in the third, plating two runs on an RBI double by Cooper Ciesielski and a sacrifice fly from Charlie Collins. However, William Carey answered immediately in the bottom half with an explosive response.
The Crusaders erupted for five runs on four hits, highlighted by a three-run home run from
Jayden Mark. RBI singles from
DeeJay Booth and
Taylor Walters contributed to the surge, pushing the lead to 11–2.
Southeastern refused to fade, scoring five runs over the next three innings. RBI singles from Jace Essig and Cade Parry in the fourth helped trim the deficit, while David Flores added an RBI double in the fifth. The Fire continued to chip away in the sixth when Collins delivered a two-run double, cutting the margin to 11–7.
Any hopes of a comeback were quickly extinguished in the bottom of the sixth. The Crusaders broke the game open with a six-run inning, sparked by a leadoff home run from
Tyler Ducksworth. Later in the frame, Mark added a two-run single, Walters drove in a run after being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, and a defensive miscue brought home another. Carley capped the rally with an RBI single to right.
Southeastern threatened in the seventh, loading the bases, but reliever
Jackson Hawsey shut the door with a strikeout to secure the victory.
Offensively, William Carey was led by Mark, who drove in five runs, while Carley added three RBIs. Walters, Hernandez, and Ducksworth each contributed two RBIs in the win.
The Crusaders return to action Thursday against Taylor University, with first pitch set for 6:00 p.m. at Harris Field.
