HATTIESBURG, Miss. — William Carey finished its four-game weekend homestand with an 18-4 victory over IU-Kokomo on Saturday night at Milton Wheeler Field. The Crusaders’s offense exploded, overcoming an early deficit to secure the win.
The Cougars took an early lead, capitalizing on control issues from Carey pitcher Holton Hartzog. Two walks and a stolen base set up an error that allowed IU-Kokomo to score first. Nate Montgomery followed with an RBI single, making it 2-0. Hartzog settled down after that, but Carey responded quickly.
The Crusaders scored in the bottom of the first on a bases-loaded walk and erupted for four more runs in the second inning. DeeJay Booth tied the game with an RBI single, and a wild pitch brought in a run. Tyler Ducksworth added a groundout that scored another, and Hays Carley doubled to left, giving Carey a 5-2 lead.
Carey continued its offensive surge in the third inning. After loading the bases with walks, Booth was hit by a pitch to bring in a run. Ducksworth followed with a two-run single, and Taylor Walters drew a bases-loaded walk to extend the lead to 9-2. The Crusaders added three runs in the fifth inning, including an RBI single from Alan McClean and a throwing error that allowed an additional run.
IU-Kokomo scored once in the sixth, but Carey responded with its biggest inning. The Crusaders scored six runs on five hits, including back-to-back two-run doubles from Franklin Hernandez and Barron Frazer. Roth John contributed a two-run single to stretch the lead to 18-3. The Cougars scored their final run in the seventh on a bases-loaded walk, ending the game at 18-4 via the run rule.
William Carey is scheduled to play Williams Baptist on Friday, February 20, with first pitch at 3 p.m. at Milton Wheeler Field.
