MONTGOMERY, Ala. –Daniel Cayton blasted two of Faulkner's four home runs as the eighth-ranked Eagles pounded No. 15 Belhaven 8-1 here Friday night in the opener of a three-game Southern States Athletic Conference series at Harrison Field.
Zak Colby and David Bishop also homered in support of Faulkner starter Corey Black (5-1), who scattered four hits and struck out six in his seven innings, allowing only an unearned run in the top of the first. The Eagles (24-8 overall, 11-2 SSAC) pounded out 13 hits on the night, which was muddied only by the four errors committed. Belhaven managed just six hits, and starting pitcher Geoffrey Thomas (2-3) was touched for six runs and seven hits in an ineffective four-inning outing.
"We really swung the bats tonight," said Faulkner head coach Patrick McCarthy, whose Eagles won their seventh straight SSAC game. "As a team, this was probably the best we've played offensively. Let's see if we can put it together for a complete series now. And it was another impressive outing from Corey Black on the mound. When you have a horse like that to ride in the opening game of a series, it usually sets the weekend up pretty good for you. Belhaven has a really good club, so we know they'll be ready tomorrow."
Brennan Olive's RBI single in the bottom of the first tied the game at 1, and Bishop's home run an inning later gave Faulkner a lead it would not relinquish. Colby got in on the long-ball barrage in the third, pushing the lead to 3-1 with a homer over the left-centerfield wall. Cayton produced the Eagles' third home run in as many innings in the fourth, launching a two-run bomb in a three-run inning that pushed the advantage to 6-1. 
Cayton closed out the scoring in the sixth, hitting his sixth home run of the season, this one a two-run shot. His big night gave him the team lead in home runs (6) and RBIs (29). Black's masterful performance lowered his earned-run average to a 0.93.
Cayton and Bishop joined teammates Brook Boudreaux and Tucker Willard with two hits apiece, while Bishop, Cayton and Willard all scored twice. Tom Wertz had two hits to pace the Blazers (20-11 overall, 6-7 SSAC).
Faulkner and Belhaven play a doubleheader Saturday, with the first game set to begin at 1 at Harrison Field.