MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Faulkner earned a walk-off win in the opener then took advantage of a costly error in the nightcap to sweep Reinhardt 4-3 and 6-1 here Tuesday night in a doubleheader at Harrison Field.
The eighth-ranked Eagles (14-4) battled back from a 3-1 deficit in Game 1, tying the game in the sixth and winning it in the seventh when Brook Boudreux's safety squeeze bunt scored Daniel Cayton.
In Game 2 of another seven-inning affair, Faulkner trailed 1-0 in the fourth before taking control with a five-run outburst, largely due to a costly error by Reinhardt rightfielder Tucker Adams as the visiting Eagles fell to 4-12 on the season.
Ray Johnson tied the game by singling in Cayton then, with the bases loaded and two outs, Zach Colby hit a long fly ball to right that Adams mishandled, emptying the bases and giving the Eagles a 4-1 lead. Craig Massey followed with a run-scoring double to extend the lead. Faulkner added another run in the sixth when Tucker Willard scored on a Zach Colby single.
Massey and Colby each had three hits in the nightcap, with Cayton adding another and three stolen bases. Lyndon Eusea pitched four complete innings to earn the victory for Faulkner.
In Game 1, Faulkner took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Cayton doubled and later scored on Brennan Olive's RBI single. It looked like the lone run might hold up as the Eagles' Cory Hamilton was in complete control through five innings, allowing only two hits. The sixth, however, brought trouble for the senior righthander.
Reinhardt's Nate Toups opened the inning with a single and, after Hamilton hit the next batter, the Eagles tied when Hamilton threw wildly on a sacrifice bunt attempt. Tyler Adams and Phillip Bates followed with run-scoring singles and Reinhardt was on top 3-1. In the bottom of the inning Faulkner came right back, with Willard's two-out single slicing into the lead and Massey's bases-loaded walk tying the game at 3.
After Damon Porter got out of a jam in the top of the seventh, Faulkner won it in the bottom half. Cayton singled, and moved to third on Olive's fourth hit of the game, setting the stage for Boudreux's game-ender. Colby and Massey each had two hits in the opener.
Faulkner hosts Point Wednesday afternoon at 1 at Harrison Field.
