BILOXI, Miss. --- The Mississippi College baseball team picked up an 8-7 win over William Carey on Wednesday evening at MGM Park.

The Choctaws improved to 16-3 on the season, while the Crusaders fell to 18-6.
 

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HOW IT HAPPENED
- After the Crusaders grabbed an early lead with a run in the first, the Choctaws tied things up in the third when junior Kyle Smith singled with two outs, stole second base and came home to score on sophomore Grant Barber's RBI single.
- The game remain tied 1-1 until the bottom of the 7th when Lucas Scott doubled home a run and Wes Brown singled home another to take a 3-1 advantage.
- The Choctaws responded in the top of the 8th, taking advantage of a wild inning on the mound for the Crusader to score six runs and grab a 7-3 lead.
- The first three runs of the frame came on bases loaded free passes as sophomore Fulton Johnson was hit by a pitch and junior Hunter Sykes and Smith drew walks to take a 4-3 lead.
- Barber came through again as he shot a single down the right field line to score Johnson and Sykes to make the score 6-3.
- Junior Billy Cameron drove in the final run of the inning on a sacrifice fly to score Smith and the Choctaws took a four-run lead into the bottom of the 8th.
- MC would get the first two outs of the eighth on a double play, but the Crusaders would rally and Jake Smith hit a two-out grand slam to tie the score at 7-7 going to the ninth.
- The Choctaws came right back in the ninth and loaded the bases as junior Blaine Crim singled and junior Luke Yancey and sophomore Brandon Broussard drew walks.
- Fulton Johnson had the big hit of the game as he sent the first pitch of his at-bat to left field, scoring the eventual game-winning run as Crim crossed the plate.
- Junior Ryan Lane retired the Crusaders in order in the bottom of the 9th with two strikeouts to clinch the victory.
 

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KEY STATS
- Smith and Crim each led the Choctaws with two hits, while Barber and Yancey had a pair of hits apiece.
- Yancey had two doubles in the game, while Barber drove in a team-high three runs.
- Johnson would also drive in a couple of runs, while Smith and Crim each scored twice.
- Lane (3-0) grabbed the win for MC, striking out three over 1.1 perfect innings.
- Jake Smith led the Carey offense with three hits and five RBI.
- Lake Robertson (1-1) took the loss for the Crusaders, giving up tw hits and an earned run over 1.0 inning.
 

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NEXT UP
- The Choctaws are scheduled to be back in action this weekend in Clinton when they host West Florida for a three-game series, starting on Friday night at 6:00 p.m.
 

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Mississippi College is a private Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi with an enrollment of over 5,000 students. MC recently finished their transition process back to NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference and began competing for conference and national championships in the 2016-17 academic year.
 
The athletic department sponsors 17 intercollegiate athletic programs: Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Football, Golf, Men's and Women's Soccer, Softball, Men's and Women's Tennis, Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field, Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field and Volleyball.
 
For more information on Mississippi College athletics, please contact David Nichols at 601-925-3234 or nichols@mc.edu.