Box Score MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Christian Torres was dominant through seven innings and 10th-ranked Faulkner dodged bullets in the eighth and ninth to escape with a 2-0 victory here Wednesday afternoon over Brewton-Parker on the opening day of the Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament at Paterson Field.
The second-seeded Eagles (43-12) scored twice in the sixth, and Torres was masterful through seven, striking out nine and allowing just four hits to that point. The junior transfer from Indian Hills Community College got into trouble in the eighth, however, with a pair of singles sandwiching a walk to load the bases with one out. Brian Bass entered in relief and was impressive, striking out McFarland on three pitches and coaxing Justin Brown into a soft liner to second baseman Dario Polanco to thwart the threat.
The drama returned in the top of the ninth, with Bass issuing a pair of walks to dig himself a hole. Faulkner head coach Patrick McCarthy then handed the ball to Eagle closer Alejandro Castro, who inherited the runners at first and second with only one out in the inning. The Barons' Clay Fenwick hit a bouncer to shortstop Edgar Figueroa, who flipped it to Polanco for the force at second. Fenwick beat Polanco's relay throw to first, but the second base umpire called obstruction on Brewton-Parker baserunner Levi O'Steen, allowing a double play that ended the game.
"That was a grind-it-out type of game, and the story without a doubt was Christian Torres," McCarthy said. "He was phenomenal. We knew Brewton-Parker would battle the entire way, and we were fortunate to get a win. In the post-season, you take them anyway you can get them. I'm proud of the way our pitchers performed in adverse situations, which always find a way to surface in tournament play."
The game was scoreless through five innings, with starting pitchers Torres and Michael Venturelli locked up in quite a duel. On the final out of the Faulkner fifth, however, Venturelli came off holding what appeared to be an injured shoulder. He was replaced in the sixth by lefthander Lane Barber, and the Eagles immediately got to the Barons' reliever.
A single by Robert Llera was followed one out later by a Brewton-Parker error on second baseman Brent McFarland. Polanco, who reached on the miscue, then stole second to put a pair of runners in scoring position. Dennis Morton's sharp single to center scored them both, giving Faulkner the 2-0 advantage it never relinquished.
Torres earned the victory to improve to 5-1 on the season, while Barber fell to 0-2 with the loss. Venturelli allowed five hits in his five innings of work, striking out three Eagles before leaving the game prematurely.
With the win, the Eagles advance in the winners' bracket to face third-seeded William Carey (29-21), which took two-of-three games at Faulkner's Harrison Field in the two teams' SSAC regular-season series in March. The Crusaders beat Bethel 5-1 Wednesday. The fourth meeting between Faulkner and William Carey is scheduled for Thursday afternoon at 4.
