MOBILE, Ala. - Faulkner relied on solid pitching and timely hitting to sweep Mobile here Saturday afternoon, taking the first game 3-1 and the second 4-2 to remain tied atop the Southern States Athletic Conference standings.
The three wins this weekend pushes Faulkner's win streak to 12 games, and leaves the Eagles deadlocked with No. 3 Lee at 21-3 in the conference. Faulkner is 36-9 overall, while Mobile fell to 10-14 in the league and 19-22 overall.
Faulkner never trailed in either game, riding a four-hitter from Will Dismukes to win the opener then depending on the bullpen in the nightcap, with three relievers taking over for injured starter Matt Creel. Creel left in the fourth inning with a strained shoulder, and Casey Wilson, Damon Porter and Zach Sterling combined to allow only one run in 5 2/3 innings.
Daniel Cayton and Matt Darr both had RBI singles in the second inning of Game 1 for a 2-0 Eagles' lead, which was cut in half by a Ryan Waltman home run in the bottom of the second. It would be the Rams' only scratch against Dismukes, who struck out six and walked only one in the complete-game gem. Brennan Olive added an insurance run in the fifth, driving in Brook Boudreaux with an RBI single.
Faulkner managed only five hits in the first game, with no Eagle collecting more than one.
The Eagles raced to a 2-0 lead in the second game with single runs in the first and third innings, thanks to a run-scoring single from Olive and an RBI double from Craig Massey. Creel was relieved by Wilson with two on and one and, after allowing the first Rams' run a Justin Beck base hit, retired the side with no further damage.
Cayton's single in the sixth drove in Faulkner's third run, and Matt Parker's RBI single in the top of the eighth made it 4-1. The Rams cut the margin to 4-2 in the eighth and threatened in the ninth, but Josh Blaylock bounced into a game-ending 6-4-3 double play.
Bouldreaux, Olive, Cayton and Tucker Williard each had two hits in the Eagles' 10-hit attack in Game 2.
"It was a great weekend for us," Faulkner head coach Patrick McCarthy said. "We pitched extremely well and played solid defense, and I thought we executed well offensively. I was pleased to see our team fire on all cylinders. I was really proud of Wilson, Porter and Sterling for the job they did when Creel got hurt. It speaks to the maturity of this club."
Faulkner hosts Blue Mountain Tuesday afternoon. The first game of the doubleheader is set to begin at 3.
