MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Just three games into his Faulkner baseball career, Zach Colby has already established a flair for the dramatic.
A night after his two-run, game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth allowed the Eagles to eventually win their season opener in extra innings, the junior college transfer from California did it again. His walk-off homer against Webber International here Saturday lifted Faulkner to a 7-5 victory and a sweep of a doubleheader at Harrison Field.
The eighth-ranked Eagles (3-0) won the first game 7-4. Webber International, which split a doubleheader with Auburn Montgomery on Friday, fell to 2-4 on the season.
"I'm not much for the dramatic endings, but a win's a win," Faulkner head coach Patrick McCarthy said. "What a great start for Zach. We knew he'd contribute early, but who would've ever imagined a start like that. Obviously I'd rather us take care of business early. From an excitement standpoint, we couldn't ask for anything better to open the season."
In Game 1, Craig Massey and David Bishop each had two hits and combined to drive in five runs as the Eagles raced to a 7-0 lead and held on for the victory. Bishop's three-run homer in a four-run fourth broke the game open for Faulkner starter and winner Damon Porter, who scattered eight hits over four and one-third innings of work. The Warriors scored a pair of runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings but could get no closer.
Faulkner appeared on its way to a stress-free victory in the nightcap, building a 5-1 lead through four innings behind starter Will Dismukes, who allowed only one hit in four innings, striking out five. The Warriors rallied against the Eagles' bullpen, however, scoring four unanswered runs to tie it.
In the decisive ninth inning, Bishop led off with a walk and Colby followed with the game-ender, sending the Eagles' dugout into a celebratory frenzy for the second straight day.
Faulkner travels to Livingston Wednesday afternoon to take on West Alabama. First pitch is set for 3.