MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Designated hitter T.J. Condon had five hits, including a pair of home runs, and seven RBIs, to lift third-ranked Faulkner to an 8-2 victory over 23rd-ranked William Carey here late Friday night that advanced the Eagles into the Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament championship game.

The hit and RBI totals were both career highs for Condon, as Faulkner won its third game in three nights to set up a winner-take-all showdown Saturday afternoon against cross-town rival and seventh-ranked Auburn Montgomery. First pitch at Paterson Field is set for 1:30. The same two teams met in last year's tournament title game, with the Warhawks winning 8-5.

Condon's explosive performance provided plenty of support for Faulkner starter and winner Christian Torres (9-2), who tossed 6 2/3 innings and allowed just two runs on three hits. Austin Moreland and Ivan Pelaez combined to finish off the Crusaders, who dropped to 37-19 with the loss. The Eagles' victory was its 45th of the season against only 12 losses.

"It feels really good to have a night like this in a big post-season game," said Condon, a junior who transferred to Faulkner from Joilet Junior College. "I just wanted to be patient at the plate and make good swings. God was with me tonight. There's no doubt about that."

Nobody was happier for Condon than Faulkner head coach Patrick McCarthy.

"He deserves a night like this because nobody works harder than he does," McCarthy said. "He's a special player that for some reason has kind of gone under the radar this year. He's had an amazing tournament thus far and tonight it was just fun to be in that dugout and experience what he did. It was amazing."

Faulkner drew first blood, scoring in the bottom of the third to jump on top. With two outs, David Palenzuela doubled into the right-field corner and Condon followed with an RBI single to center to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead. The Crusaders tied it in the top of the fifth, with a little help from Torres. A single and a pair of walks loaded the bases with one out, and Tyler Richardson's infield ground out scored Adrian Brown to even the score at 1 apiece.

Just as it had in the third, Faulkner struck again with two outs in the bottom of the fifth. Alexis Cruz singled and Palenzuela walked, setting up Condon, who already had a pair of hits on the night. His third came on the second pitch from William Carey starter Tyler Odom. He pounded a fastball into the left-field corner, scoring a pair of runs to put the Eagles back in front 3-1. Dennis Morton's solo homer in the sixth extended Faulkner's advantage to 4-1.

William Carey chased Torres after Mitch Little's double in the top of the seventh. Austin Moreland entered with two outs and Little on third, and struggled from the outset. He walked pinch hitter Tyler Graves, then surrendered a run-scoring single to Richardson that trimmed the margin to 4-2. After hitting Tyler James with an 0-2 pitch to load the bases, the junior righthander stepped up, striking out Odom, the Crusaders' top hitter, to prevent further damage.

It was Condon who then provided the knockout punch in the bottom half of the frame, planting a 1-0 pitch from William Carey reliever Larson Barkurn well over the 390 sign in dead center field for the three-run homer that provided insurance. His solo homer an inning later ended the scoring, and a night he and his head coach will never forget.

"You don't often get to see that kind of hitting," McCarthy said. "I'm really happy for T.J. We'll all put that behind us now and focus on tomorrow's opportunity. AUM is obviously one of the best teams in the country, and it should be a fun game for the players and the fans."

Cruz and Palenzuela each added a pair of hits for the Eagles, while Little was the only Crusader with multiple hits, finishing with two. Odom took the loss in only his third appearance of the season, dropping to 0-1.