MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Faulkner (25-28, 12-14 SSAC) overcame a five-inning hitting slump with an explosive sixth frame to slingshot past Coastal Georgia (33-19, 15-11 SSAC) 2-1 in Game 1 of this afternoon's Southern States Athletic Conference doubleheader here at Wynn Field, but a six-run Mariner third inning in the second event proved too big a hurdle for the Lady Eagles to overcome in the 6-4 loss.

The visitors broke the scoring silence in the even-keeled opener with a run on an infield error in the fifth inning.

Faulkner's offense finally came to life when Katie Goodson broke up Dawn Stewart's five-inning no-hit effort with a leadoff single in the sixth.

Within moments the Lady Eagles found themselves in a bases-loaded, one-out situation thanks to subsequent singles from Emily Byrd and Hannahlee Harris. 

Shelby Brown refused to squander the opportunity and drilled a twin-RBI double to left field giving Faulkner a one-run advantage and eventual win.

The visitors did move a pair of runners into scoring position with two outs in the seventh, but Faulkner was able to squash the new-found Coastal Georgia momentum before serious damage could be done.

Hayden Strickland Oates pitched a stellar 4 1/3 innings allowing just two hits while tallying a pair of strikeouts. The lone run in the game was unearned.

Caitlin Perry (11-6) claimed the win in relief after giving up just two hits and striking out five batters in the final 2 2/3 innings.

Seniors (from left) Emily Byrd, Katie Goodson and Hayden Strickland Oates were honored in a special pre-game ceremony

The second outing was rather uneventful over the first 12 outs, but a Mariner offensive explosion coupled with three costly Faulkner errors bolted the visitors into a 6-0 lead in the third inning.

Again, it wasn't until the sixth inning, when Brown produced an RBI double off the left field wall, that the Lady Eagles finally crept onto the scoreboard. 

Faulkner added three more digits to the run column on a Harris RBI single and Abbigail Barron two-RBI double late in the do-or-die seventh inning, but there wasn't enough firepower remaining to push the point total further.

Tori Davis (5-7) suffered the loss after surrendering two earned runs on four hits over 2 2/3 innings. The junior also had three strikeouts.

Emma Cornell held the circle for the remainder of the outing and struck out tow batters while allowing just three hits.

Brown had a double in each game and secured Faulkner's first three RBIs of the day while Harris had two hits, drove in a run and scored.

Barron was 2-for-4 in the second game and knocked in the final two runs.

The Lady Eagles closed out the regular season winning five of their last six games. This run should build both confidence and momentum as the team readies for the SSAC tournament set to begin next week at the Wilson Morgan Softball Complex in Decatur, Alabama.

Although the final league standings have yet to be locked down, it looks like the Mariners and the Lady Eagles may again do battle in the opening round as the fourth and fifth seeds, respectively. The annual softball banquet will be held Wednesday evening with play beginning Thursday.