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Box Score 2 ATHENS, Tenn. - Esteban Paula drove in three runs and scored two more to back the strong pitching of Matt Martin as Faulkner beat Tennessee Wesleyan 9-1 in the first game of a doubleheader here Wednesday afternoon at Bowling Field. The Bulldogs bounced back in the nightcap, however, riding a three-run second inning to capture the nightcap 5-2.
With the split, Faulkner is now 17-4, while Tennessee Wesleyan is 10-8-1.
"I thought we played really good mid-week baseball the last few days," said Faulkner head coach Patrick McCarthy, whose Eagles won two games against nationally-ranked Judson Sunday and Tuesday. "Anytime you can win three out of four it's a good week. I thought Matt Martin was great today in earning his first collegiate win. I am really proud of the guts he showed against a really good team today."
In the opener, Martin got all the help he'd need when the Eagles scored twice in the top of the first inning, once on a wild pitch and once on a bases-loaded walk. Faulkner added single runs in the second and fourth innings without the benefit of a hit, and broke the game open with a five-run fifth, highlighted by Paula's two-run homer. Matt Malloy accounted for the Bulldogs' only run with a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth.
Martin tossed a complete-game, five hitter in the seven-inning affair, walking two and striking out three. Paula supplied most of the Eagles' offensive punch, while Robert Llera added three hits and an RBI for Faulkner.
In Game 2, also seven innings, Faulkner used six pitchers, with starter Kevin Torres taking the loss. The Eagles were held hitless through six innings before scoring two runs on three hits in the top of the seventh. Tyler Wilson went 6 1/3 innings for the Bulldogs to earn the victory. K.J. Hockaday's two-run single in the third was the key blow for Tennessee Wesleyan.
Faulkner travels to Mobile this weekend for a Southern States Athletic Conference three-game series against Spring Hill. Friday's game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start.
