NEW ORLEANS – The Crusaders jumped out to an early lead and behind a dominant pitching performance from Matthew Davis, held off No. 14 Loyola for a 4–3 win Friday evening at Segnette Field.
Carey wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, plating two runs in the opening frame. Taylor Walters was hit by a pitch and Hays Carley followed with a single to put runners in scoring position. Jayden Mark then delivered an RBI single through the right side to score the game's first run. Moments later, Franklin Hernandez reached on a fielder's choice, allowing Carley to cross the plate and give the Crusaders a 2–0 advantage.
The Crusaders added to their lead in the third inning when Nic Arender lined a two-out RBI single through the left side, scoring Walters to make it 3–0. Loyola answered with a run in the bottom of the inning to cut the deficit to two.
Carey regained momentum in the fourth, capitalizing on a Loyola miscue. After Gage Hinnant reached on an error and advanced to third, DeeJay Booth lifted a sacrifice fly to left field, bringing home Hinnant and pushing the lead back to three at 4–1.
The Wolfpack mounted their biggest threat in the fifth inning, scoring twice to pull within one. Jed Cambre drove in a run with a single to left, and another scored on a Carey defensive miscue during a sacrifice bunt. With the bases loaded, Davis limited the damage by recording back-to-back strikeouts followed by a flyout to left center.
From there, Davis took control, allowing just three hits over the final four innings to secure the win. He finished the night going 8.1 innings, surrendering three runs—two earned—while striking out 13.
Carey returns to action Saturday to wrap up the series with a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.
