MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Faulkner relied on excellent pitching performances from Thomas Dorminy and Jeremy Holcombe and pounded out 10 hits in each game of a doubleheader sweep of Belhaven here Friday night on the opening day of a crucial Southern States Athletic Conference three-game series at Harrison Field.

The Eagles won the first game 9-2 and came from behind to win the nightcap 5-2 to move to 24-5 overall and 9-2 in the SSAC. With the pair of wins, Faulkner has a one-game lead over Brewton-Parker in the conference standings. Belhaven, which entered the day with a seven-game winning streak, fell to 22-6 overall and 7-4 in the league.

"Those were two big wins for our team," Faulkner head coach Patrick McCarthy said. "I thought we played as well as we could play in the first game, and not so well in the second, but we found a way to win. That speaks a lot for our guys. Our pitchers tonight were lights out, and we got big hits when we needed them. It's a great start to the weekend."

Faulkner dominated the opener behind Dorminy (5-0), who allowed only four hits while striking out five in the seven-inning affair. Robert Llera and Sergio Sanchez each hit two-run homers, and Michael Cruz had three hits and three RBIs as Faulkner blitzed Belhaven starter Boomer Scarborough. The Blazers' righthander allowed all nine Faulkner runs in five innings of work, falling to 3-3 on the season.

The Eagles grabbed an early lead on Cruz's RBI single in the first, then added three more in the third, highlighted by Sanchez's two-run homer. After the Blazers scored a run in the top of the fourth, taking advantage of a pair of walks and a balk issued by Dorminy, Faulkner blew it open in the bottom half. The Eagles scored five times, with Llera's two-run blast the big blow.

Elvis Rodriguez added a pair of hits, including a double, and scored a run for the Eagles. Luis Sanchez also scored twice and had two of the six stolen bases for Faulkner.

In Game 2, Esteban Paula's RBI double put Faulkner on top 1-0 in the second, only to see the Blazers grab the lead a half inning later. A wild throw on a pickoff attempt by Faulkner starter Jeremy Holcombe allowed the first run to score and Dom Francia's single drove in another as Belhaven took a 2-1 advantage.

Faulkner quickly regained control, scoring twice in the bottom of the fourth on RBI hits by Sergio Sanchez and Dauris Holguin. Cruz's solo home run in the fifth made it 4-2, and a three-base throwing error by Belhaven pitcher Andrew Gunn allowed Holguin to score, pushing the lead to 5-2.

Paula had three hits in the win for Faulkner, which got two each from Cruz and Sergio Sanchez. The Eagles stole five more bases in the Game 2 victory.

Holcombe (5-1) earned the victory, scattering eight hits while allowing only one earned run in eight solid innings. Labradford Griffis finished it off by tossing a scoreless ninth.

The Eagles and Blazers conclude the series Saturday with a nine-inning game set to begin at 1 at Harrison Field.