HATTIESBURG, Miss. - After a hard-luck 2-1 loss in Game 1, Faulkner bounced back with a vengeance in the nightcap here Saturday afternoon, ripping William Carey 14-0 to gain a split of their Southern States Athletic Conference doubleheader.

The Eagles (29-6 overall, 12-3 SSAC) led late in the seven-inning opener but a pair of unearned runs for the Crusaders (16-16 overall, 7-8 SSAC) in the bottom of the sixth ended Faulkner's 10-game winning streak. The second game was all Faulkner, however, as Patrick McCarthy's team scored 10 runs in the first inning off of four William Carey pitchers. The Eagles were beneficiaries of six walks and two errors in the frame, with Michael Cruz's three-run homer the big blow.

"The loss was a tough one," Faulkner head coach Patrick McCarthy said. "I was proud of the team for bouncing back. How you handle adversity says a lot about a team."

The Eagles appeared primed to win Game 1, with Dauris Holguin's RBI groundout in the fifth inning driving in Elvis Rodriguez, who had tripled, for a 1-0 Faulkner lead. Eagles' starter Jeremy Holcombe had allowed only one hit heading into the sixth, but with one out Michael Coelho reached on Holcombe's throwing error to kick-start the Crusader rally. Jeremy Ferguson followed with a run-scoring double to tie it, and Aaron Brady later singled as William Carey grabbed the decisive 2-1 lead.

Holcombe dropped to 5-2 on the season, while Gavin Culpepper improved to 3-2, allowing just two Faulkner hits.

Faulkner quickly took control in Game 2, which ended after seven innings due to the 10-run rule, adding a four-run third inning to its uprising in the top of the first. The Eagles' Kurt Lipscomb cruised to the victory, improving to 3-1 on the year with four innings of no-hit work. Jace Belcher didn't retire a batter in the first, taking the loss for the Crusaders to drop to 1-1.

In addition to Cruz's three RBIs, Luis Sanchez, Chris Madera and Holguin all knocked in a pair of runs in the Faulkner victory. Greg Howard was the only Eagle with multiple hits, going 2-for-2. Cruz scored three runs, while Luis Sanchez, Esteban Paula, Chris Madera and Holguin scored two apiece.

Faulkner hosts Mobile next weekend in another three-game SSAC series. Friday's game is set for a 6 p.m. first pitch.