MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Faulkner took advantage of four Brewton-Parker errors and one big inning to bounce the Barons 10-2 here Friday night in the opener of a Southern States Athletic Conference three-game series at Harrison Field.

With the victory, the third-ranked Eagles moved to 33-8 overall and 19-3 in the SSAC, opening up a half-game lead over top-ranked Lee in the league standings. Brewton-Parker dropped to 18-12 overall and 10-6 in the conference.

The Barons actually outhit the Eagles, collecting 10 hits to Faulkner's nine, but the visitors allowed three unearned runs with miscues. Faulkner's big inning came in the fourth, when it bunched together four hits around a walk and a hit batsman to score six times.

"Our guys really battled at the plate and came up with some big hits," Faulkner head coach Patrick McCarthy said. "Their pitcher was good, really good. It's always good to get the first one in a big series, and this is a big series for us."

The Eagles broke open a close game in the decisive fourth, sending 10 batters to the plate in the six-run uprising. Luis Sanchez and Dauris Holguin both had two-run singles, while Brook Boudreaux also singled in a run as Faulkner built a 7-1 lead.

The Faulkner lead grew to 8-1 an inning later when Michael Cruz blasted a solo home run. After the Barons cut the margin to 8-2 with a run in the top of the sixth, the Eagles closed out the scoring with two in the bottom half, courtesy of a passed ball and an infield groundout after Brewton-Parker committed its fourth error of the game.

Johnny Shuttlesworth improved to 8-1 on the year, allowing eight hits and both Brewton-Parker runs while striking out 12. Barons starter Joel McLaughlin took the loss, dropping to 7-2 on the season.

Faulkner and Brewton-Parker complete the series with a Saturday afternoon doubleheader, which begins at 1 p.m.