LEWISTON, Idaho — William Carey’s baseball season ended Thursday night in a 16-14 loss to Tennessee Wesleyan at the NAIA World Series. The game, played at Harris Field, lasted four hours and 17 minutes, tying the tournament record for longest nine-inning game.
The two teams combined for 30 runs and 34 hits, with Tennessee Wesleyan rallying from a six-run deficit to secure the victory. The Bulldogs scored four runs in the seventh inning to reclaim a 14-13 lead before holding off the Crusaders in the ninth. Tennessee Wesleyan’s pitcher retired William Carey in order in the final inning to seal the win, according to tournament officials.
William Carey, which finished 41-20 overall, was led by a seven-run sixth inning that tied the game and a late eighth-inning rally. The Crusaders scored 10 runs in the sixth, highlighted by RBIs from Jayden Mark, Gage Hinnant, and DeeJay Booth, turning a six-run deficit into a 13-9 lead. Tennessee Wesleyan responded with five runs over the next two innings to regain the lead.
Head coach Bobby Halford praised his team’s resilience despite the loss, noting the team’s effort to come back from early deficits. “Finishing third in the World Series is a great accomplishment, and we’ll use this as motivation heading into next year,” he said.
The game featured a record-setting sixth inning for William Carey, which sent 16 batters to the plate and tied the tournament record for most batters in a single inning. The contest also marked the longest nine-inning game in NAIA World Series history, according to official records.
