HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) – William Carey University saw its bats go ice cold at the worst time Monday.
The Crusaders managed just two hits over the final seven innings Monday evening in a 10-6 loss to Indiana University Southeast to open the 2025 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ postseason baseball tournament at Milton Wheeler Field.
Top-seeded Carey (28-13) faces elimination from the four-team bracket when it takes on second-seeded Oklahoma Wesleyan University (46-10) at 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Wesleyan fell to a lower seed Monday as well, with third-seeded University of British Columbia taking a 9-3 victory Monday.
British Columbia (37-17) will face fourth-seeded IU Southeast (31-16) at 6 p.m. in a winner’s bracket game.
Monday, Carey and IU Southeast were tied 5-5 after two innings, but Nolan Browser’s two-run single in the third inning gave the Grenadiers the lead for good.
Run-scoring singles by Coulter Hamilton and Ethan Burdette keyed a three-run sixth inning that put the game away.
The only answer Carey managed was a solo home run by Jayden Mark in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Luca Sandrella (7-2) got the win despite allowing five runs on five hits over finer innings. Only one of the runs was earned. He walked two, struck out five.
His successor on the mound, Aiden Darlage, was stingier. Darlage went four innings, allowing a run on two hits. He walked two, struck out five.
Carey’s Matthew Davis (6-3) was beat up early, allowing seven runs on nine hits over the first 2 2/3 innings of the game. All told, the Grenadiers banged out 15 hits against two Carey pitchers.
Carey managed just seven hits, with five coming in the first two innings.
Josh Alexander knocked in three runs for the Crusaders with a double and triple, while Rigoberto Hernandez doubled and drove in two runs.
Bowser and Hamilton each had three hits and scored a pair of runs for IU Southeast. Preston Shelton also collected three hits.
Monday marked the second time in as many postseasons that Indiana University Southeast had hurt the Crusaders. The Grenadiers beat Carey in the opening round of the 2024 NAIA World Series.
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