William Carey earned an 8-4 victory over Talladega College on Tuesday afternoon in Talladega, Alabama. The Crusaders jumped out to an early lead with two runs in the top of the first inning, highlighted by an RBI single from Jayden Mark and a sacrifice fly by Hays Carley.
Throughout the early innings, Carey’s pitching kept Talladega at bay, limiting the Tornadoes to just three baserunners over the first four frames. Solid defense also helped contain Talladega’s offense, preventing any significant rallying until later in the game.
The Crusaders broke the game open in the sixth inning, capitalizing on a defensive error to score three runs. Franklin Hernandez drove in two with a single, and Cam Senior added a sacrifice fly. Talladega responded with a run in the bottom of the inning, but Carey pulled away in the seventh with back-to-back solo home runs from DeeJay Booth and Ducksworth, pushing the lead to 7-1.
The Tornadoes fought back in the seventh and eighth innings, scoring three runs on an RBI double from F. Quinones, a triple from Rivera, and an RBI single by J. Williams. A run was also wiped out in the eighth due to an interference call, preventing Talladega from closing the gap further.
Carey added an insurance run in the ninth when Gage Hinnant scored on a wild pitch and a throwing error. Dylan Wallace then pitched a clean ninth inning to secure the win. The Crusaders will next play on Friday, opening SSAC play with a doubleheader against Abraham Baldwin at Milton Wheeler Field.
