MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Jack Charleston flirted with a no-hitter and every player in the Faulkner starting lineup had at least one hit as the top-ranked Eagles blasted No. 15 Auburn Montgomery 8-1 here Thursday night in the opener of a Southern States Athletic Conference series at the AUM Baseball Complex that will decide the regular season league championship.

Faulkner improved to 41-11 overall and 23-5 in the conference, while the Warhawks dropped to 35-15 overall and 24-4 in the SSAC. Patrick McCarthy's Eagles must sweep Friday afternoon's doubleheader to win their fourth straight SSAC title. One victory gives AUM the title in Marty Lovrich's first year at the helm of the program.

"We know tomorrow will be a grind, but we had to have this one to have a chance, and I could tell during batting practice that we were ready," McCarthy said. "Baseball is a crazy game, and tomorrow could be a totally different story. Both teams know the championship will be decided, and that makes for an exciting day.

"As far as Jack's performance, it was just outstanding. He was in total command."

Charleston had a no-hitter into the seventh inning before Kaleb Harris looped a two-out single to right field. With the seven-run lead, McCarthy pulled his starter after the inning, with the sophomore right hander from Gainesville, Fla., striking out 11 in his most impressive performance of the season.

"I think most pitchers cherish the opportunity to pitch in a big rivalry game like this with so much on the line," said Charleston, who improved to 7-1 on the season. "I got behind the hitters in the first inning, but settled down after that and really got in a groove. And you always like to see your hitters do the job like ours did tonight. When you're pitching with the lead, it always makes things more comfortable."

Faulkner took control from the outset, scoring in each of the first three innings. Chris Madera, who doubled, scored the game's first run on Robert Llera's infield groundout. Dario Polanco's RBI double in the second inning made it 2-0 and Dennis Morton pushed it to 3-0 in the third with a run-scoring single of his own.

Charleston was dominant, but did allow an unearned run in the fourth when Darius Reese, who had struck out on a ball in the dirt, made it all the way to second base on Llera's wild throw to first. Reese advanced to third on a groundout to first, and scored on a groundout to third to cut the margin to 3-1.

In the fifth the Eagles extended the advantage, batting around en route to a three-run frame. Nick Cain drove in one, and a pair of bases-loaded walks to Polanco and Madera made it 6-1. The Eagles' lead could have been much larger through six at-bats, having collected 11 hits and been issued eight free passes. Faulkner, however, had three runners thrown out on the bases and left nine men stranded.

Cain's sacrifice fly in the sixth inning increased it to 7-1, and a wild pitch in the eighth allowed Cody Sos to score the game's final run. Seven of Faulkner's starters had one hit apiece, while Edgar Figueroa and Cody Sos each had a pair. Randy Joung and Sos both scored two runs, with Cain and Polanco collecting two RBIs each. Kurt Lipscomb and Tyler Campbell each pitched scoreless innings in relief of Charleston to close out for the Eagles.

Seth Arroyo (3-4) took the loss for the Warhawks, who finished with three hits on the night.

Friday's decisive doubleheader is set for a 3 p.m. first pitch.