MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Top-ranked Faulkner (31-3) scored six unanswered runs in the second half of Game 1 to claim the 8-4 victory before halting No. 6 Georgia Gwinnett's late rally in the nightcap and securing the series sweep with a 5-3 decision.

The Eagles opened scoring on a passed ball in the first inning, but the home team answered with an RBI single in the bottom of the same frame.

Faulkner regained the lead on a Reid Long sacrifice fly in the third, but again the Grizzlies had an answer, this time with three runs on two hits to claim their first and only lead of the three-game series.

The visitors capitalized with a run on an infield error in the fifth inning before catapulting back into a permanent lead courtesy of a bases-loaded, two-RBI single from John Price and a Georgia Gwinnett balk in the sixth.

T.J. Condon homered in the seventh before Michael Darr capped the scoring spree with an RBI single that same inning.

Paolo Montezuma broke the Game 2 scoring silence with a base hit RBI in the second inning before Faulkner cruised into a 4-0 lead on an infield error, Deivy Palmeiro RBI double and Austin Paschke RBI single in the fourth.

Another error in the sixth ushered in the Eagles' final run of the day.

The Grizzlies woke from hibernation with a three-run seventh inning, but were unable to outpace the Faulkner bullpen down the stretch.

Tyler Tungate allowed four earned runs on five hits while striking out four batters and walking five others through the first four inning of play in the opener. 

Long (1-0), who started the event in right field, iced the Grizzlies giving up just four hits while putting away five batters in five shutout innings to book his first victory of the season.

Starter Israel Fuentes (6-0) logged six quality innings in the Game 2 win allowing a pair of earned runs on six hits while tallying six strikeouts.

Braden Olive, Kolby Green and Jonathan Wilkins then each secured an inning from the mound, respectively. Olive gave up a single earned run on two hits while Green struck out the side and Wilkins sat down two of the three hitters he faced.

Repeat performers at the plate included Condon, who had three hits, dove in three runs and scored and Montezuma, who also produced three hits, scored twice and knocked in a run on the afternoon.

Faulkner will next travel to New Orleans for a Southern States Athletic Conference series against Loyola. The three-game weekend will begin Friday evening with a nine-inning contest beginning at 5 p.m. with a doubleheader following on Saturday at 1 p.m.