JACKSON, Tenn. — William Carey lost to Loyola University 12-5 in the final game of pool play at the 2026 SSAC Baseball Championship Friday night. The Crusaders finished with a 2-1 record in the tournament.
Carey started strong, scoring two runs in the first inning. DeeJay Booth led off with a single, and after a walk and hit-by-pitch loaded the bases, Franklin Hernandez hit a two-RBI single to left field, giving Carey an early 2-0 lead. Taylor Walters drove in Booth with a double in the second inning to extend the lead to 3-0.
Loyola responded in the bottom of the second, when Jovan Swasey drove in a run with an RBI single, cutting the deficit to 3-1. The game shifted in the third inning, when two Crusader errors allowed Loyola to tie the game with RBIs from Ayden Authement and Hunter Ponson.
The Wolfpack took control in the fourth inning, scoring four runs despite only one hit. Loyola capitalized on three errors by William Carey to build a 7-3 lead. The Wolfpack added four more runs in the fifth, pushing the advantage to 11-3. Carey scored single runs in the sixth and eighth innings, including an RBI from Jayden Mark, but could not close the gap. Loyola capped the scoring with an RBI single by JJ Garcia in the sixth for a 12-5 final.
William Carey now awaits its postseason fate. At-large selections for the NAIA National Championship Opening Round will be announced May 6 at 4 p.m. via YouTube, according to the school.
