Faulkner opened its season Friday with a split amid rainy conditions in the Faulkner Invitational.

FAULKNER 6, MIDWAY 3

The Lady Eagles scuffled in the second inning as a pair of Midway walks set Trista Craigmyle up to drive in Baylee Woods with a single up the middle. Midway kept that 1-0 lead until the bottom of the fourth when the Faulkner bats came to life. Shelbie Burbage (SO/Prattville, Ala.) singled and stole second. Courtney Ray (JR/Montgomery, Ala.) drove her in with a single to tie the game. Kendall Bennett (JR/Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.) followed with a hit of her own before giving way to Madison McKee (FR/Wetumpka, Ala.). Abbie Barron followed with a three-run homer over the left field fence for the 4-1 lead. 

Dakota Berry (JR/Milton, Fla.) walked in the bottom of the fourth ahead of infield hits by Abby Tindol (FR/Billingsley, Ala.) and Shelbie Burbage. Ashton Fielding (JR/Rockford, Ala.) drove in Berry with a fielder's choice to move the lead to 5-1. 

Faulkner scored for a third consecutive inning in the fifth when Kendall Bennett found her way home on a wild pitch. 

Caitlin Perry (SR/Montgomery, Ala.) (1-0) struck out 10 batters over seven innings while surrendering seven hits and allowing three earned runs for the win.  

CUMBERLANDS 7, FAULKNER 4

Bennett walked to lead off the bottom of the second before scoring on a wild pitch against Cumberlands to tie the game 1-1. The Patriots did not leave the game in that state for long. 

Meryn Livingston launched a three-run shot over the center field fence on the only pitch she saw in the at-bat. Cumberlands added three more runs in the sixth to stretch the lead to 7-2. 

Faulkner scratched out a pair of runs in the home half of the seventh when Taylor Parker (SO) scored on a wild pitch and Tindol scored on a Fielding single. 

Faulkner (1-1) plays again Saturday when it hosts Cumberlands at noon and Truett McConnell later in the afternoon.