Faulkner displayed plate discipline in Saturday's twin bill with William Carey as the Eagles sweep the first SSAC series of the season. The Eagles drew 13 walks in 12 innings of offense and found 15 hits.

Faulkner 6, William Carey 2 (7 Innings)

The Eagles opened the scoring on a two out balk that allowed Jacob Freeland (SR/Cape Coral, Fla.) to touch home uncontested in the bottom of the first. The Crusaders answered right back with a solo home run to center from Caleb Danzy to tie the game in the second. William Carey looked to take the lead in the third when Caleb Ledet dropped a squeeze bunt but a strong defensive play from Antonio Frias (JR/Panama City, Panama) scooped and fired home where Max Guzman (JR/Miami, Fla.) made the tag. 

Faulkner converted its squeeze opportunity in the next half inning when Hagan Holmstead (JR/Salt Lake City, Utah) brought home Freeland who timed his run perfectly and slid around the tag from Jake Smith. 

Freeland continued his excellent opening day with a three run two out homer in the fourth to right field to push the Eagle advantage to 5-1. 

Sloan Dieter scored in the top of the sixth on Smith groundout to bring the Crusaders within 3.

Freeland drove home Te'kwaan Whyte (SR/Stone Mountain, Ga.) in the sixth with a double to left center to finalize the scoring. 

Frias was stellar on the hill striking out nine in a complete game victory. He surrendered just four hits and one walk. 

Faulkner 12, William Carey 2 (7 innings)

The Eagles used three four-run innings to apply the run rule to the Crusaders in the series finale.

Whyte opened the scoring when he tagged up from second on a sacrifice fly from Freeland in the first inning. Sam Anthony (JR/Columbus, Ga.) plated Max Guzman with a single after Guzman reached on an error. John Michael Mathews drove home Troy Black (SO/Dayton, Ohio) and Myron Mebane (SR/Tallahassee, Fla.) with a single a few at bats later. 

William Carey answered back in the third with a Pablo Torres single to score Patrick Lee who had a leadoff double. 

Anthony picked up his second RBI of the game when he brought Black home on a single to shallow center. Mathews scored on a passed ball later that inning before Whyte and Guzman drew a pair of bases loaded walk. Mike Battle (JR/Birmingham, Ala.) scored on another passed ball on the final at bat of the inning to push the score to 8-1. 

The Crusaders countered with a bases loaded single from Jake Smith in the top of the sixth to cut into the Faulkner advantage.

Mebane drove in two runs to open the bottom of the sixth. Jonathan Villa (JR/Ensenada, Mexico) round an RBI single three batters later. Whyte's sacrifice fly to right sealed the scoreline at 12-2. 

Jacob Hulcher (SR/Montgomery, Ala.) picked up the win on the mound allowing just two runs on five hits in five and a third innings. 

The Eagles will hit the road to face Blue Mountain for a conference series Friday and Saturday with the first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday.