NEW ORLEANS — William Carey’s baseball team scored five runs over the final six innings to secure a 10-1 non-conference victory over Southern University New Orleans.
The game remained scoreless through three innings before the Crusaders broke through in the fourth. Hays Carley led off with a double, advanced to third on a flyout, and scored on a deep fly by Taylor Walters to give Carey a 1-0 lead.
The Crusaders increased their lead in the fifth, sending seven batters to the plate and scoring three runs. Cam Senior opened with a single, followed by a double from Alan McClean. Gage Hinnant drove in McClean with an RBI single, then stole second and moved to third on a throw. DeeJay Booth doubled to bring in Hinnant, and Carley added a run-scoring single to push the lead to 4-0.
Carey extended its lead in the sixth when Senior homered to right field, making it 5-0. Southern scored its only run in the bottom half after a hit-by-pitch and a sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit to 5-1. However, the Crusaders responded strongly in the seventh, scoring four runs without a hit. The inning included a bases-loaded walk, a sacrifice fly, a passed ball, and an RBI groundout, increasing the lead to 9-1.
The Crusaders added one more run in the ninth when Ducksworth singled home Weston Wales, who had entered as a pinch runner and later stole second. William Carey’s pitching staff held Southern to just two hits and one unearned run, with seven innings of hitless baseball in seven innings of play. Blaise Lalonde earned the win after six innings with eight strikeouts.
Offensively, Hinnant, Franklin Hernandez, Carley, and Senior each had multi-hit games for Carey. The team will next play on March 27 against the University of Mobile in Mobile, Alabama, with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. at Mike Jacobs Field.
