Faulkner recorded 35 runs on 38 hits Saturday at Harrison Field to complete the sweep over eighth-ranked Middle Georgia State 18-1 and 17-10 in the SSAC Series of the Week. The Eagles improve to 25-8 overall and 11-1 in SSAC play and take a two game lead in the league standings over the Knights who fall to 23-7 overall and 9-3 in the conference.

(2) Faulkner 18, (8) Middle Georgia State 1

Two grand slams with two outs led the way offensively for Faulkner in the second game of the series. Max Guzman (JR/Miami, Fla.) launched a 3-1 pitch over the scoreboard in left field in the second and Jacob Freeland (SR/Cape Coral, Fla.) ripped a 1-2 pitch over the right field fence in the sixth.

Hagen Holmstead (JR/Salt Lake City, Utah) drew a leadoff walk to start the second. Freeland hit a one out single and was advanced with Holmstead on a balk during Tyler Paulsen (JR/Jolliet, Ill.)'s at bat. Paulsen drove Holmstead home for the first run of the day. Jonathan Villa (JR/Ensenada, Mexico)'s sacrifice fly plated Freeland on the next at bat. A pair of walks to Te'kwaan Whyte (SR/Stone Mountain, Ga.) and John Michael Mathews (JR/Birmingham, Ala.) loaded the bases for Max Guzman who found his second grand slam of the season and eighth long ball of the year. 

Dayton Beasley sent the first pitch of the top of the third over the center field fence just left of the batter's eye for the only run of the game for the Knights. Singles from Troy Black (SO/Dayton, Ohio) and Freeland and a balk allowed Paulsen to clear the bases with a single of his own in the bottom half of the frame.

Six singles and a hit by pitch in the bottom of the fifth inning combined for four Eagle runs with RBIs coming from Mathews, Guzman, Marcus Ragan and Freeland.

Villa's leadoff single was followed by a walk drawn by Myron Mebane (SR/Tallahassee, Fla.) opened the sixth inning. Mike Battle (JR/Birmingham, Ala.) reached on a throwing error from Middle Georgia thirdbaseman Blake Jackson. Bo Seccombe (JR/Tallahassee, Fla.) drew a bases loaded walk to score Joseph Vargas (JR/Toja Balto, P.R.) who replaced Villa on the basepaths. Mebane scored on a wild pitch from Kyle Anderson before Anderson walked Black to load the bases again for Freeland's grand slam, his fourth round trip of the season. 

Antonio Frias (JR/Panama City, Panama) turned in one of his best performances of the season limiting the Knight offense, who entered the game averaging over 10 hits and nine runs an outing, to just three hits and one run in a complete game effort. He struck out five in seven innings of work and improves to 4-0. 

Freeland ended the contest with four hits and five RBIs and three runs. Guzman also recorded five RBIs and was three for four from the plate with two runs. Paulsen and Ragan each recorded three hits and Villa two. 

(2) Faulkner 17, (8) Middle Georgia State 10

Middle Georgia State jumped out to an 8-1 lead midway through the fourth before Faulkner flipped the switch and outscored the Knights 16-2 the rest of the way. 

Ragan's leadoff single in the second inning was followed two batters later by a Black triple off the center field wall to open the scoring. The Knights tied the game in the top of the third with two doubles. 

A slew of pitching blunders allowed seven Knights to score on three doubles in the fourth to put Middle Georgia State up 8-1. The seven run deficit and turmoil in the Middle Georgia State dugout, which saw a visiting player ejected, woke the Eagles up. Guzman and Ragan hit back-to-back singles in the bottom half of the inning before Holmstead drove Guzman home with a double down the right field line. Black followed with a two RBI double to left-center. Freeland's sacrifice fly advanced Black who was driven in by a Paulsen double. Villa would score Paulsen with a single to complete the scoring in the fourth as the two teams combined for 12 runs in the frame.

Jacob Durant put the Knights ahead 10-6 in the sixth before Brandon Suttles (SR/Panama City, Fla.) fanned two visitors in his first two batters faced out of the bullpen. Faulkner erupted for eight runs in the home half. Freeland's leadoff single was followed by Paulsen being hit by a pitch. Villa's sacrifice bunt advanced the runners before Whyte found his first hit of the weekend at a crucial time to spark a furious comeback. Whyte's full-count single to right scored both Freeland to cut the deficit to three. Mathews drew a walk to load the bases before Guzman was hit with a pitch to score Paulsen. Ragan tied the game with a single to tally Mathews and Whyte. Holmstead put the Eagles ahead for good with a two RBI single during the next at bat. Black and Freeland found back-to-back singles and Paulsen drove home Black with a double down the left field line. Freeland scored the eighth run of the inning off a passed ball. 

Whyte blasted a 2-2 pitch over the batter's eye at dead center leading off the seventh to give Faulkner a 15-10 lead going into the eighth. Freeland cracked a 3-1 pitch over the righ field fence for his second home run of the day and the fifth of the season in the eighth with one out. Whyte drove home DeJhard Kimbrough (JR/Atlanta, Ga.) who ran for Paulsen following his single.

Heath Olive (JR/Birmingham, Ala.) found himself in a bases loaded jam with one out in the bottom of the ninth before slamming the door with a popup and a strikeout looking to finalize the save. Suttles (3-0) picked up the win with four strikeouts in two innings of relief work. 

The Eagles scattered 21 hits throughout the contest. Ragan had four hits while Whyte, Black, Freeland and Paulsen each recorded three and Holmstead had two.

The bottom third of the lineup found 16 hits in 23 at bats in on the day. 

The Eagles will host Talladega in a midweek tilt on Tuesday at Harrison Field. The doubleheader is scheduled to start at 6 p.m.