The William Carey softball team defeated Blue Mountain Christian in a doubleheader Thursday night. The Lady Crusaders opened with a 5-1 win and completed the sweep with an 8-0 run-rule victory in the second game.
In the first game, Carey scored first in the bottom of the opening inning. Liz Cross reached on a bunt single, advanced to third, and scored on Jayden Sawyer’s groundout. Blue Mountain responded in the top of the second with a run on a triple by Kelsey Camp and a sacrifice fly by Maryn Macri, tying the game at 1-1. Carey took control in the bottom of the second, loading the bases with two outs before Cross hit a three-run double to center, scoring Julia Shaw, Harper Dupre, and Brooklynn Montana and pushing the lead to 4-1.
Both teams remained scoreless in the third. Carey added an insurance run in the fourth after singles from Caroline Lindsey and Dupre, and an error by Blue Mountain allowed Dupre to score. Reanna Nieman and Sawyer combined to throw a complete game, holding Blue Mountain to just one run on four hits.
The Lady Crusaders carried their momentum into the second game, scoring early. Cross singled and scored on Shaw’s groundout to give Carey a 1-0 lead. An inning later, Kinley Hogue walked, moved to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a throwing error, making it 2-0.
Blue Mountain threatened in the third but left a runner stranded at second. Carey broke the game open in the fourth, sending 10 batters to the plate and scoring five runs on five hits. Sawyer delivered an RBI single, and Cross hit a three-run single to right. Shaw added another RBI single later in the inning. The Lady Crusaders finished the game early in the fifth with a single from Cross that drove in her fourth run of the night. Hornsby earned the win, allowing three hits over five shutout innings.
William Carey returns to action Friday, hosting UT Southern in SSAC play. The doubleheader is scheduled to start at noon at Joseph & Nancy Fail Field.
