Carey baseball ends season with 2, narrow losses at NAIA World Series

LEWISTOWN, Idaho (WDAM) – William Carey University saw its baseball season come in a relatively quick visit to the 2024 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics World Series.

The Crusaders (37-16), the 10-team field’s seventh seed, went down swinging in consecutive losses on Friday night and Saturday afternoon at Harris Field in the double-elimination tournament.

Indiana University Southeast 6, William Carey 5

Carey fell into the elimination bracket Friday night, dropping a 6-5 decision to 10th-seeded Indiana University Southeast.

The Grenadiers scored three times in the first inning on the first of two solo home runs by Mason White, three walks followed by a sacrifice fly, and then a hit batsmen to reload the bases followed by a RBI-walk.

Trevor Goodwin made it 4-0 in the third inning with a solo home run and White swatted his second solo shot in the fourth for a 5-0 IUS lead.

WCU’s Bailee Hendon smacked a two-run home run in the bottom the fourth inning to get Carey within 5-2.

The Grenadiers added a run in the sixth inning on a wild pitch, before the Crusaders cut the lead to 6-5 in the bottom of the inning on two, RBI groundouts and a balk.

Carey had two men on and two out in the seventh inning, but a strikeout ended the inning.

WCU’s Andrew Shirah (8-5) allowed five runs on three hits and five walks in 3 1/3 innings to take the loss. He struck out four.

IUS starter Luke Schafer (10-3) allowed five runs on five hits and five walks over six innings. He struck out eight.

Garett Hill picked up his eighth save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning.

White led IUS at the plate, going 3-of-4 to pick up half of the Grenadiers’ six hits. He scored twice and drove in two runs.

Hendon had two of Carey’s seven hits, driving in two runs and scoring twice.

University of the Cumberlands 6, William Carey 4

Charlie Muniz’ grand slam home run in the bottom of the sixth inning erased a 4-2 Carey lead as the third-seeded Patriots knocked the Crusaders from the NAIA’s postseason baseball play.

Carey had just taken the lead on a three-run homer by Bryden Coffey.

Team’s exchanged runs, with Max Harper’s single giving the Cumberlands a 1-0 lead in the third inning before a solo homer by Carey’s Preston Ratliff tied the game in the top of the fourth.

Another Harper run-scoring single gave the Patriots a 2-1 lead before Coffey’s big blow.

But after the Cumberlands loaded the bases against Carey starter Dario Herrera., Muniz emptied them with a shot to left-center off Ratliff in relief.

Muniz, Harper and Evan St. Claire had two hits apiece, combining for six of the Cumberlands’ eight hits.

Ratliff, Rigoberto Hernandez and Jerod Williams had two hits each.

Herrera (6-2) allowed five runs on six hits and three walks over 5 1/3 innings to take the loss. He struck out one.

Patriots starter Cesar Avila (13-0) got the win, allowing four runs on nine hits and a walk while striking out 10.

Chipper Korbacher picked up his 12 save of the season.

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