The Crusader baseball team split a three-game road series against the Thomas Nighthawks in Thomasville, Georgia, on Saturday. Carey lost the opener 6-5 but secured a 9-6 victory in the second game, according to team sources.
In the first game, Carey fell behind early but took the lead on Deejay Booth’s two-run homer in the sixth inning. Thomas responded with a two-run shot of their own to retake the lead. The teams exchanged runs in the fifth and sixth innings, with Carey’s Barron Frazer hitting a two-run homer in the sixth to briefly give the Crusaders the lead. Thomas scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth to secure the win. Freshman Taylor Walters and Franklin Hernandez contributed offensively, with Walters collecting two hits and Hernandez driving in a run. Starting pitcher Josh MacCord was replaced after three innings, with both he and reliever Dylan Wallace surrendering three runs each. Wallace took the loss.
In the second game, Carey opened strong, scoring three runs in the first inning. Booth doubled and later scored on Jayden Mark’s single, while Hernandez drove in a run with a single, followed by Weston Wales’ sacrifice fly. Thomas cut the lead to two in the bottom of the first but Carey responded with two more runs in the second, highlighted by singles from Booth and Carley and a run-scoring single from Mark. Tyler Ducksworth scored from third on a pickoff attempt that turned into a rundown. Thomas scored three runs in the fourth to chase starter Everette Thompson. Nic Arender hit his first home run of the season in the sixth to extend Carey’s lead to two. The Nighthawks tied the game at six in the seventh, but Carey scored three runs in the eighth and ninth innings to secure the win. Walters drove in two runs in the eighth, while three walks and a hit batter in the ninth added to the final margin. Booth, Walters, Mark, and Arender each had two hits. Thompson pitched 3.2 innings, striking out three, before being replaced by Blaise Lalonde. Jimmie Johnson pitched the eighth and ninth innings for the Crusaders, earning the win. Only two of Thomas’ six runs were earned, according to team stats.
The Crusaders will conclude the regular season next week at home against Blue Mountain Christian, beginning Thursday at 6 p.m. with a doubleheader scheduled for Friday at 1 p.m. Carey is currently third in the SSAC standings, two games behind the first-place team, according to league standings.
