two thumbs up

William Carey salvaged the second game of a doubleheader against Belhaven on Saturday and in so doing kept its season alive. Carey’s 5-3 win — forged by Taylor Martin’s three-hit, seven-strikeout complete game — clinched a berth in the Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament this week in Columbus, Ga. Carey is 26-23 and finished 7-11 in the SSAC West, good for fourth place. Belhaven, which took two of three in the series at Smith-Wills Stadium, is also going to Columbus, having finished third in the division at 11-7. The Blazers, who reached the NAIA World Series last year out of the old Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, are 39-15 overall. … Delta State lost the series finale at Harding on Saturday but came out of the weekend tied for first place in the Gulf South Conference West with the Bisons and Arkansas Tech at 13-5. DSU has wrapped up a spot in the GSC Tournament with one conference weekend remaining. The Statesmen swept Friday’s doubleheader as starters Josh Branstetter (7-1) and Aaron Newcomb (6-6) held Harding to two runs total.