William Carey is NAIA World Series bound once again after rallying to earn a 13-11 victory over Cumberlands in a dramatic opening round finale.
The Crusaders trailed 10-2 in the sixth inning on Wednesday but managed to outscore the Patriots 11-2 the rest of the way, largely due to an explosive top of the eighth. William Carey tacked on 10 runs on seven hits in the frame to take a lead that would not be relinquished.
The comeback began with a two-run double by Franklin Hernandez, followed by an RBI double from Tyler Ducksworth that cut the deficit in half. Alan McClean kept the momentum rolling with a two-run double of his own.
DeeJay Booth delivered arguably the biggest swing of the game, blasting a towering three-run home run to left-center to tie the contest at 10-10. William Carey wasn’t finished, adding two more runs in the inning on a wild pitch and another on an RBI single from Hernandez to take a 12-10 lead after entering the frame trailing by eight.
“I thought it was one of the best comebacks I’ve ever been a part of,” William Carey head coach Bobby Halford said.
The Crusaders added an insurance run in the ninth inning when McClean singled home Ducksworth to extend the lead to 13-10. Cumberlands made one final push in the bottom half of the inning as Caden Petrey launched his second home run of the game, but it wasn’t enough. Matthew Davis retired the next two batters to secure the comeback victory.
The Crusaders are heading to Lewiston, Idaho, for the first time since 2024 with this year’s NAIA World Series set for May 22-30.