By Stan Caldwell
stanmansportsfan.com
HATTIESBURG – If William Carey is to continue its softball season beyond Tuesday, the Lady Crusaders are going to have to do it the hard way.
College of Idaho used a three-run outburst in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 4-1 victory over Carey Monday in the opening game of the NAIA Opening Round Regional at Joseph and Mary Fail Field.
The loss pushed the Lady Crusaders (36-15) into an elimination game at game at 1 p.m. Tuesday, where they will face William Woods (Mo.).
The winner of that game will face the loser of Tuesday’s contest between COI and Vanguard (Cal.) for a spot in the championship round on Wednesday. Vanguard defeated William Woods 6-1 in Monday’s second game of the tournament.
“It’s one game at a time now,” said WCU coach Craig Fletcher. “Our backs are against the wall, so we’ve got fight back or it’s done.”
The Yotes rode a strong effort in the circle from left-hander Colette Robert, who limited the Lady Crusaders to just four singles. She only walked one and struck out six.
“She’s a left-hander, and she’s a little faster than we’ve seen,” said Carey junior Mary Blair Odom, who drove in the only run of the game for Carey on a two-out single in the top of the fourth inning. “She spun the ball real well and kept us off balance.”
The day started on a sour note for Carey before the first pitch was thrown, when Fletcher lost a coin toss to determine which team would be the designated home team.
Despite being the No. 2 seed and the host in the tournament, the Lady Crusaders were at the disadvantage on the scoreboard.
College of Idaho (39-15) got the scoring started in the bottom of the third off Carey sophomore right-hander Lindsey Johnson on a two-out double by Trystin Crofts.
The Lady Crusaders answered in the next half-inning with a tying run. Senior Harli Crow led off the inning with the only walk of the game for Carey, and she was forced at second on a grounder by senior Kaitlyn Thompson.
Thompson went to second on a single by senior Macy Monk, bringing Odom to the plate in an RBI situation, and she delivered a single to left field.
“I like those pressure situations,” said Odom. “So, I knew when I came up that I had to produce a run for my team. She was going outside all game. She had a little drop-curve that comes in a little bit. I saw a meat pitch and went with it.”
The Yotes, though, broke it open in the fifth. Two walks, sandwiched around a successful sacrifice, put two runners on, and they both scored on another double off the left-field wall by Crofts. Marissa Maddox followed with a single to right to score Crofts.
“I got the ball up, when I should have kept it down more,” said Johnson (17-9). “They were squaring it up pretty good. We’re going to come back tomorrow and put our best out there. We’re confident that we can do it.”
Robert (22-6) retired the Lady Crusaders in order in the sixth and worked around a throwing error to lead off the seventh to nail down the win for COI.
“They’re a good ball club,” said Fletcher.
“We didn’t know a whole lot about them, being so far away, but they’re a good team. They’re solid through the lineup, they play good defense, good pitching, and they have some pop in their bats. They did all the things you need to do to win.”
Carey Softball Linescore
NAIA Opening Round Regional
Game 1
Monday at Joseph and Mary Fail Field
College of Idaho 4, William Carey 1
WCU 000 100 0 – 1 4 0
COI 001 030 x – 4 7 2
WILLIAM CAREY (36-15): Harli Crow 1B; Macy Monk 1B; Mary Blair Owen 1B; Caitlyn Castille 1B. LP – Lindsey Johnson (17-9) 8 Ks.
COLLEGE OF IDAHO (39-15): Haley Loffer 2B; Trystin Crofts 2 2B (3 RBIs); Marissa Maddox 2 1B; Delaney Atkins 1B; Aleah Mendiola 2B. WP – Colette Robert (22-6).
