LEWISTON, Idaho – The Crusaders' season came to an end in a high-scoring, back-and-forth battle at the 2026 Avista NAIA World Series, as William Carey fell to Tennessee Wesleyan 16–14 late Thursday night (early Friday morning) at Harris Field.
"When a team scores in every inning, it's tough to overcome," said Head Coach
Bobby Halford. "But I'm incredibly proud of the resilience our guys showed, battling back with that ten-run inning and never giving up down the stretch. Finishing third in the World Series is a great accomplishment, and we'll use this as motivation heading into next year."
The final out wasn't recorded until 4:07 a.m.—four hours and 17 minutes after the first pitch. By then, the two teams had combined for 30 runs and 34 hits, while tying a tournament record by sending 16 batters to the plate in a single inning. The contest also became the longest nine-inning game in NAIA World Series history.
William Carey generated early traffic on the bases in the first inning, but Tennessee Wesleyan escaped without damage. The Bulldogs capitalized in the bottom half despite not recording a hit, manufacturing the game's first run with walks and stolen bases. A sacrifice fly from Kolton Reynolds plated Rob Gordon to give TWU a 1–0 lead.
Tennessee Wesleyan extended its advantage in the second inning, scoring three runs on four hits. Hagen Escoto highlighted the frame with a two-run home run to left field, while Gordon added an RBI single later in the inning. The Bulldogs continued to build momentum, adding one run in the third and three more in the fourth to stretch the lead to 8–0.
The Crusaders finally broke through in the fifth inning. After putting two runners on base,
Franklin Hernandez delivered a clutch three-run home run to left, cutting the deficit to 8–3 and igniting the WCU offense. However, Tennessee Wesleyan quickly responded with a sacrifice fly from Josh Shelly in the bottom half, maintaining a six-run cushion at 9–3.
William Carey then turned in one of the most remarkable innings in World Series history. The Crusaders sent 16 batters to the plate and scored 10 runs in the top of the sixth inning, tying the tournament record for most batters in a single inning and flipping a six-run deficit into a 13–9 lead.
The rally featured six hits, multiple bases-loaded walks, hit-by-pitches, and timely hitting.
DeeJay Booth drove in the first run of the inning with a single to center, followed by a bases-loaded walk drawn by
Taylor Walters.
Jayden Mark and Hernandez each added RBIs to trim the deficit to two before consecutive walks by
Hays Carley and
Tyler Ducksworth tied the game at 9–9.
Gage Hinnant then delivered a two-run single to left to give the Crusaders their first lead, and Booth capped the inning with a two-run single to right, pushing Carey ahead by four.
Tennessee Wesleyan refused to fold. The Bulldogs scratched across a run in the sixth and added four more runs in the seventh to reclaim a 14–13 advantage. William Carey answered again in the eighth, as
Jayden Mark's RBI single evened the score.
But once more, TWU had a response. In the bottom of the eighth, Josh Shelly delivered an RBI double, and a fielding error allowed another run to score, giving the Bulldogs a 16–14 lead.
From there, Tennessee Wesleyan's pitching shut the door, retiring the Crusaders in order in the ninth to secure the victory.
With the loss, William Carey concludes its season with a 41–20 overall record and a 17–10 mark in conference play.
