MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Darrius Jennings and T.J. Condon did the damage at the plate and starting pitcher Kurt Lipscomb did not allow an earned run as third-ranked Faulkner blasted Loyola (La.) 10-2 here Wednesday night on the opening day of the Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament at Paterson Field.

Jennings had a two-run homer and drove in four runs and Condon had three hits and two RBIs in support of Lipscomb, who improved to 2-2 on the season with eight strong innings for head coach Patrick McCarthy and the top-seeded Eagles (43-12). Faulkner advances in the winners' bracket to face Mobile, who upset 23rd-ranked William Carey 3-1 earlier in the day, Thursday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7. 

Loyola will face William Carey in an elimination game Thursday afternoon at 1. In the other side of the bracket, Auburn Montgomery blasted Martin Methodist 11-0 and Bethel shocked 14th-ranked Middle Georgia State 6-4. AUM and Bethel square off at 4 Thursday afternoon in a winners' bracket contest, while the RedHawks and the Knights battle for survival Thursday morning at 10.

"It's a good way to start the tournament," said McCarthy, whose team won the SSAC regular season title for the fourth time in the past five years. "We got big hits when we needed them and Kurt did what we expected him to do. Now we move on to another tough opponent. I really believe that this tournament field is as tough as I can remember it ever being."

Faulkner scored an unearned run in the first to take an early lead. Alexis Cruz had his infield popup dropped by Loyola second baseman Spencer Rosenbohm and, after stealing second and advancing to third on a flyout, scored when T.J. Condon's grounder got by Wolfpack third baseman Britt Pellegrin. Condon collected the Eagles' first hit, a double, in the third inning and later scored on Dario Polanco's RBI single to make it 2-0.

The advantage doubled in the Faulkner fifth when, after Nick Cain singled, Jennings powered a long home run over the left-field wall to push the margin to 4-0. Loyola cut the deficit in the top of the six, scoring a pair of unearned runs. Two strikeouts sandwiched an error on shortstop Onix Martinez and a base hit, and after a wild pitch moved the runners to second and third the Wolfpack's Lance Licciardi looped a single to center to score a pair.

Jennings got the two runs back for the Eagles in their half of the sixth with a sharp single to left, scoring Polanco and Dennis Morton, who both had reached on base hits. Faulkner blew it open in the eighth, with Cain and Deivy Palmeiro each providing RBI singles. Two outs later, Condon drove in two more with a single - his third hit of the game - and the lead was 10-2.

Lipscomb struck out eight in his eight innings of work, scattering seven hits and walking only two. Austin Moreland gave up a hit but struck out the side in the ninth to end it. Daniel Posway (3-8) took the loss for Loyola, which fell to 22-32 on the season.