HATTIESBURG, Miss. – No. 19 Tennessee Southern battled in a pair of tightly contested games Friday, splitting the SSAC Series of the Week against No. 16 William Carey on the road.
William Carey 2, Tennessee Southern 1 (9 Inn.)
The opener turned into a pitcher's duel that stretched into extra innings, with both teams trading zeros deep into the game.
UT Southern broke through in the fourth inning. Hall worked a walk and moved into scoring position as Lindsey and Bodily followed with base hits to load the bases. King delivered a sacrifice fly to bring Hall home, giving the Firehawks a 1-0 lead.
The Firehawks carried that lead into the seventh before William Carey evened the score, sending the game into extras.
UT Southern threatened multiple times late, drawing seven walks in the contest, but could not push across the go-ahead run. In the ninth, the Crusaders capitalized to walk off the 2-1 win.
Lindsey led the offense with two hits, while Bodily added a hit. King drove in the lone run, and Hall scored the Firehawks' only run of the game.
In the circle, Singletary was outstanding, tossing 8.1 innings while allowing just two runs and striking out eight.
Tennessee Southern 6, William Carey 5
The Firehawks responded in game two, using timely hitting to secure a key conference win.
William Carey struck first with a four-run opening inning, but UT Southern answered immediately in the second. King singled and McCain followed with a base hit before Cook delivered a two-RBI single. Pettie added a sacrifice bunt RBI to trim the deficit to 4-3.
The Firehawks took control in the third. King and Bodily each singled before McCain delivered the biggest swing of the game—a three-run home run to right—giving UT Southern a 6-4 lead.
William Carey added a run in the fifth, but the Firehawks' pitching held firm down the stretch.
McCain led the offense with two hits, including a home run, and three RBIs. King finished with two hits and scored twice, while Cook added two hits and two RBIs. Bodily recorded a hit and scored, and Pettie drove in a run.
In the circle, Gilbreath earned the win after working four innings. Lindsey came on in relief and closed out the final three innings to earn the save.
The game two victory snapped an 11-game home winning streak for the Crusaders.
Tennessee Southern returns to action Wednesday, April 8, traveling to Cumberland for a conference twin bill.
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