William Carey baseball is once again league champions after securing its third Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) title on Saturday.
The Crusaders used a 15-4 run rule victory over Blue Mountain Christian to punch their ticket to the NAIA Baseball Championship. After Carey took an early 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly by Caleb Laird, the Toppers responded with a four-run third inning to take a 4-1 advantage.
Battling from behind, Carey fought back with consecutive one-run innings before going off for five runs in the bottom of the fifth, highlighted by RBI hits by Bailee Hendon and Braydon Coffey before two sac flies to go up 8-4. A one run sixth and a six-run seventh that included a grand slam from Jake Lycette would end things early.
Next up is the opening round of the NAIA Baseball Championship, which is set for May 13-16 at Milton Wheeler Field in Hattiesburg.
