Carey takes Game 1 over Wolf Pack

NEW ORLEANS – The 16th-ranked Loyola Wolf Pack suffered a 12-3 series-opening loss to William Carey on Thursday, setting up an important final day of the regular season for both teams on Friday. 
 

Loyola (18-10), William Carey (18-10) and Point University (17-11) are all locked in a battle for the No. 2 seed at next week's Southern States Athletic Conference Baseball Championship, and Friday's results will determine the 2-3-4 seeds at the tournament. Point is playing at Faulkner this week, winning that series opener over the Eagles. The Skyhawks also have the tiebreaker over the Wolf Pack, while the Crusaders own the tiebreaker over Point. 
 

The Pack and Crusaders meet back up at Tulane's Turchin Stadium at 1 p.m. for a doubleheader, as well as Faulkner and Point in Montgomery, Alabama, at the same time. 
 

William Carey got off to a good start with five runs in the second inning, then the Crusaders added three more in the fourth to jump ahead, 8-0. 
 

Loyola left seven runners on base through the first three innings, including the bases loaded in the third. The Wolf Pack finally pushed a run across in the fifth inning, as Collin Zeringue and Anthony Fernandez both reached base ahead of Kason Cullins' RBI single to right, 8-1. In the sixth, Zeringue gave one a ride to deep centerfield with two outs and the bases loaded, but the Carey outfielder made the catch at the warning track to leave the bases juiced for the second time in the game. 
 

Christian Callender pitched 3.2 innings of relief, and he gave up just one hit and a walk with four strikeouts to hold William Carey's bats at bay. Luca Tosca pitched well in the eighth inning, too, needing just nine pitches to put another zero on the board. 
 

After WCU tacked up four more runs in the top of the ninth to make it a 12-1 lead, Garrett Beadle had a pinch-hit, two-run home run in the bottom half to bring the game to its final, 12-3.
 

Pack Facts

• Christian Callender had his longest outing of the year, 3.2 innings, while only giving up one run and one walk and striking out four. 

• Jaxon Buratt, who had a pair of hits on Thursday, extended his team-high hitting streak to 14 games. Kason Cullins also extended his hitting streak, which is now at 13 games. 

• Garrett Beadle's late home run was the first of his Wolf Pack career.