MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Middle Georgia State (9-12) rode a pair of home runs to claim the 4-2 victory in Game 1 of this afternoon's Southern States Athletic Conference series here at Wynn Field, but well-executed base-running anchored an 8-2 win for Faulkner in the nightcap.

After a Makenzie Anthony stolen base gave Faulkner a runner in scoring position in the third inning of the opener, Jessica Butterworth sparked what would turn into a brilliant offensive afternoon with an RBI single down the first base line to give the home team a brief 1-0 lead.

The Knights' Sabrina Doucette delivered a solo home run to left field in the ensuing at-bat to move the game into a stalemate.

The tie held until the top of the seventh inning when Destiny Johnson crushed a three-run shot to left-center giving the visitors a 4-1 a sizable lead.

Faulkner was aggressive in its final trip to the plate tallying three stolen bases in addition to Sophie Slemp's RBI single, but the Lady Eagles couldn't overcome the deficit. 

Scoring in the second matchup started out in similar fashion with Butterworth booking an RBI to give the birds a 1-0 lead, this time on a sac fly in the first inning.

A mild, but constant rain shower that began in the top of the second inning caused pitching chaos for the span of a few innings. The wetness prevented pitchers on both sides from executing strategically in the strike zone and ultimately generated several wild pitches and contributed greatly to an elevated walked-batter total.

The Knights were the first to capitalize on the weather's disruption when they tied the event in the top of the second inning after taking home on a wild pitch.

The Lady Eagles then took advantage of the defensive struggle that same inning. Four walks, a hit batter and a passed ball helped anchor three runs for Faulkner and gave the team a 4-1 lead.

Kayla Bawkin trimmed that lead in the top of the following inning when she offered up Middle Georgia State's third homer of the day.

Holli Brooks rocked a double in the bottom of the inning before advancing to third on a wild pitch. She later scored on a fielder's choice extending Faulkner's lead.

Butterworth went back to work in the RBI column with a double in the fourth inning before scoring on a hard-hit ball two second base.

Butterworth capped her performance with another RBI single through the hole at second in the sixth. 

Faulkner had 11 stolen bases on the afternoon.

Hayden Strickland (2-3) allowed five hits and tallied a strikeout in the loss. All four runs were earned.

Caitlin Perry (3-3) gave up only four hits and a single earned run while striking out six batters in the followup win.

Butterworth was on fire offensively going 3-for-5 with four RBIs and a run in the series.

Anthony went 2-for-3 in Game 1 and scored twice while Brooks and Hannahlee Harris each scored twice and contributed a hit and RBI each in the second contest. Hannah Qualls had a pair of RBIs in the win.

Faulkner moved to 8-6 overall and 1-1 in the league. The Lady Eagles host conference foe Breanu in a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Wynn Field.