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Box Score 2 MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Alexis Torres' two-run homer sparked a three-run fifth inning that lifted Faulkner to a 6-3 victory here Saturday over Blue Mountain in the first game of a Southern States Athletic Conference doubleheader, and the Eagles pounded the Toppers 14-4 in the nightcap to sweep the three-game series at Harrison Field.
No. 5 Faulkner moved to 5-1 in the SSAC and 14-1 overall, while Blue Mountain dropped to 1-5 in the league and 7-7 overall.
Chris Madera's RBI double broke a 3-3 tie in the fifth inning of the opener and Torres followed with his homer that secured the Eagles' fourth straight victory, and Faulkner used the long ball to run the win streak to five.
Head coach Patrick McCarthy's team ripped six home runs in the second game rout. Dario Polanco hit two of the homers - a two-run shot in the second inning to give Faulkner the lead and a three-run blast in a nine-run third that pushed the margin to 11-0. Cody Sos, Chris Madera, Dennis Morton and Junior Santos also homered for the Eagles, who added three runs in the sixth for a 14-0 lead. Blue Mountain scored four times in seventh on four hits but it wasn't enough, with the game ending due to the 10-run rule.
Kurt Lipscomb moved to 3-0 on the season for the Eagles, allowing just three hits in pitching six scoreless innings. Morton complimented Polanco's five RBIs with four of his own in Game 2, giving him six on the day.
In Game 1, Robert Llera's RBI single in the first and Morton's solo homer in the second put the Eagles on top 2-0. Faulkner surrendered a pair of unearned runs in the fourth without surrendering a hit.
Tied at 2 in the bottom of the fourth, Llera and Randy Joung singled and Morton's groundout resulted in an RBI, giving Faulkner a 3-2 advantage. Brandon Berry homered in the top of the fifth to tie it for the Toppers, setting the stage for the pivotal bottom of the fifth.
Madera's RBI double gave Faulkner the lead for good, and Torres' two-run blast offered some insurance. Jack Charleston (1-0) earned the victory for the Eagles, going 6.2 innings while allowing five hits and just one earned run.
"Whenever you sweep a series in this league, it makes for a good weekend," McCarthy said. "We continue to get big hits when we need them, and our pitchers are doing their jobs as well. It's a good start. But that's all it is - a start."
Faulkner hosts Embry-Riddle Sunday afternoon at 1 at Harrison Field.
