Boxscore
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - William Carey University outlasted the Savannah College of Art and Design 20-16 Thursday (May 14) evening in an elimination game of the 2009 NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round being played at Milton Wheeler Field.
The Crusaders, who are seeded No. 2 in the five-team, double-elimination tournament and ranked No. 21 in the NAIA, improved to 36-21 and will face Southern Polytechnic State University late Thursday in the championship game. The 22nd-ranked Bees, who were seeded No. 3, ended their most successful season in the program's history at 39-23.
The game, which was delayed nearly two hours due to rain at the start, lasted four hours and 27 minutes. The contest didn't lack any firepower as the teams combined for 36 runs - a new college record - on 38 hits, including 14 that went for extra bases.
The Bees scored six times off William Carey starter Zachary Magee in the bottom of the first. Patrick Koontz had a RBI double while Mike Hines drove in another with a single before Matt Zajac, who knocked in a career-high 5 RBI, knocked in two more with the first of his two doubles.
The Crusaders then reeled off 14 unanswered runs over the next three innings to open a nine-run lead. William Carey broke the game open with a six-run third off SCAD starter Joe Kase (5-6). The big hit in the inning was a bases-clearing double by Jacob Casey. Jordan Prout had a two-run double and David Trisler added a three-run homer in the fourth to give the Crusaders a 15-6 lead.
The Bees scored in five of their final six innings but couldn't overcome the deficit. Mark Stewart Jr. tied a college record for the Bees as he had five hits, including two doubles and a triple in his six at bats. Every starter in the SCAD except one collected at least one hit.