Trojans Win Fourth Straight at NAIA World Series, Advance to National Championship Game on Saturday

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LEWISTON, Idaho – Six days after dropping its World Series opener to William Carey by a 7-4 margin, top-seeded Taylor (56-6) handed the Crusaders the exact same scoreline in return. The Trojans buried William Carey (41-19) under a five-run first inning and never trailed, riding the early cushion and a poised effort from freshman starter JT Tabor to a 7-4 win in the Avista NAIA World Series semifinal. The victory was Taylor's fourth straight in Lewiston and pushed the Trojans into Saturday's national championship game as the top remaining seed in a field down to three.

After a delayed start due to weather and first pitch at 8:20 p.m. PDT, Taylor sent nine batters to the plate in the bottom of the first and pushed across five runs to take early control of the contest.

With two outs and two on, Brennan Frickel singled through the left side to score Brayden Manning and break the seal. Sam Gladd kept the line moving, and Fletcher Roemmich emptied the bases with a three-run double to left-center that made it 4-0. Nate Simpson followed with a run-scoring single up the middle to cap the rally and chase William Carey starter Josh MacCord, who recorded just two outs.

The damage was spread across a balanced lineup. Roemmich drove in a game-high three runs on his first-inning double. Luke Sutter went 2-for-5 with a home run and a stolen base, while Brayden Manning matched him with two hits, a home run and two runs scored. Manning extended his hitting streak to 21 games and on-base streak to 40. Gladd added two hits including a double, and Frickel and Simpson each delivered a run-scoring single in the decisive first. The Trojans finished with 10 hits, four of them going for extra bases.

From there, the Trojans leaned on Tabor. The freshman right-hander met the moment that comes with a semifinal start on the NAIA's biggest stage, working in and out of trouble without letting the Crusaders climb back into the game. He allowed three hits across four-and-two-thirds innings, struck out five and surrendered just one earned run, repeatedly answering William Carey's attempts to chip away at the lead. Each time the Crusaders threatened, Tabor found the pitch he needed.

The Taylor lineup gave him room to breathe in the form of two solo home runs. Luke Sutter went deep to right field in the second to make it 6-1, and Manning launched a shot to center in the fourth that stretched the margin to 7-1. It was Manning's career-high 14th blast of the season and first of the World Series.

William Carey, to its credit, never went quietly. The Crusaders answered the five-run first with a run in the second on a Gage Hinnant RBI single, then kept scratching. Franklin Hernandez singled in a run in the fifth, Hinnant doubled one in during the sixth and Jayden Mark doubled in the game's final run in the ninth.

Hinnant drove in two and Hernandez collected three hits, but William Carey could never string enough together to erase the early hole. Reliever Adam May gave the Crusaders a chance, holding Taylor to one run over the final 6.1 innings.

The Taylor bullpen closed the door behind Tabor. Nick Crabtree picked up the win with a scoreless inning of relief, improving to 2-0, and Nathan Frady worked the final 2.2 innings for his second save of the series, allowing a single run while protecting the three-run lead with a pair of double plays. The Trojans needed all of it against a William Carey team that had already shown multiple dramatic comebacks in the NAIA Opening Round and World Series.

The result tightens an already dramatic World Series picture. Taylor advances directly to Saturday's championship as the top remaining seed with first pitch slated for 6:30 p.m. PDT (9:30 p.m. EDT). William Carey, now facing elimination, will meet Tennessee Wesleyan on Friday, with the winner earning the right to challenge the Trojans for the title.