Box Score MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Five Faulkner pitchers combined on a six-hit shutout, while Robert Llera drove in four runs and Chris Madera added three more as the second-ranked Eagles blasted fifth-ranked Georgia Gwinnett 10-0 here Tuesday night in a non-conference battle at Harrison Field.
The victory was Faulkner's 30th of the season - the fastest the Eagles have gotten to 30 wins in Patrick McCarthy's six years at the helm. In a matchup of two teams who both made it to the 2014 Avista-NAIA World Series,Georgia Gwinnett fell to 27-6 while Faulkner improved to 30-5. The Eagles are the first NAIA team in the nation to reach the 30-victory plateau this year.
"That was a complete team effort out there tonight," said McCarthy, whose Eagles had 10 hits. "All the pitchers threw the ball well and we continue to build quality depth in that area. And we got the big hits when we needed them in our three big innings. Georgia Gwinnett has a quality team, and I'm pleased with how our team responded to the challenge."
The Eagles broke on top in the third. With two outs, Mario Amaral singled and went to second on Grizzly left fielder Michael Hodorowski's error. Chris Madera then drew a walk, and Edgar Figueroa was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Robert Llera. Llera, the Eagles' top hitter, belted a double to deep center field to clear the bases and give Faulkner a 3-0 lead.
The advantage grew in the fifth, with Amaral again getting things started. His one-out double down the line in right set the table for Madera, who tripled by Georgia Gwinnett center fielder Trey Haygood to make it 4-0. Llera then knocked in his fourth run of the night, singling to left and chasing Georgia Gwinnett starter Ryan Minteer. Andy Threatt, on his first pitch in relief, balked in the sixth Faulkner run and Morton followed with an RBI single over the bag at third to push the margin to 7-0.
Things got worse for the Grizzlies in the bottom of the sixth. Dario Polanco and Cody Sos opened with back-to-back doubles to make it 8-0 and Madera followed with his fourth home run of the season, a two-run shot that handed the Eagles a dominant 10-0 lead.
Christian Torres pitched the first three innings for Faulkner, allowing no runs on three hits and striking out five. Patrick McGrady (1-0) followed with two scoreless innings of relief to earn his first victory of the season, surrendering only one hit with two strikeouts. Vinny Lujan tossed a perfect sixth, and Alejandro Castro didn't allow a run in either the seventh or eighth innings. Tyler Campbell, the fifth Faulkner pitcher, closed it out in the ninth.
Minteer was the losing pitcher, suffering his first setback of the season to fall to 4-1. The junior right hander, who entered the game with a 2.15 ERA, allowed seven runs on six hits in 4.1 innings. The Eagles and Grizzlies meet again on April 14 in Lawrenceville, Ga.
Faulkner travels to Pulaski, Tenn., this weekend to take on Southern States Athletic Conference rival Martin Methodist in a three-game series. Game 1 Friday is set for a 4 p.m. first pitch.
