With the SSAC Tournament in sight but the bracket still out of focus, Friday brought a hint of clarity to where the Lady Eagles will open the postseason after sharing the spoils with Bethel on the first day of the final series of the season at Wynn Field. Faulkner fell 4-2 in the first contest before bouncing back with a 4-1 victory in game two. The Lady Eagles are tied with Bethel at 16-14 in the league standings and can finish anywhere from third to fifth.

Bethel 4, Faulkner 2

The hosts led until the seventh when a controversial three run Wildcat rally handed the Lady Eagles a late loss. With Faulkner leading 2-1 with one out, Jezabelle Quintana drove in the go ahead run with a two RBI single. Iesha Kizer flaired to left when a sliding effort from Julianne Wilkes was ruled to have hit the ground drawing the ire of the home fans and dugout. The decision was an impactful one, allowing another run to score and taking a potential inning-ending double play off the board after Wilkes came up firing to second to beat the retreating runner.

The Lady Eagles ignited the scoreboard in the third inning when Taylor Parker scored on a throwing error from Bethel rightfielder Melanie Alexander from a single hit by Kendall Bennett. 

The two sides traded leadoff home runs in the fourth facing a 1-0 count, with Faulkner's answer coming from Maggie Tipton, her fourth of the season. Tipton ended the game two for two with a walk. 

Caitlin Perry took the loss despite striking out five Wildcats in the complete game effort. Three of those punchouts came in the first; after the first two batters reached base, Perry struck out the next three to end the threat. 

Faulkner 4, Bethel 1

Bennett's three run blast in the third inning highlighted the bounceback victory in the nightcap. The junior shortstop turned a 1-0 pitch over the left field fence for her second home run of the season to plate Abbigail Barron and Parker for the first runs of the contest. 

Faulkner increased its lead to four when a pair of throwing errors allowed Abby Tindol to come around and score off an infield single from herself and a grounder to short from Parker. 

Bethel countered with a sacrifice fly in the sixth to score one run but could not add any more. 

Bailey Whitfield picked up the win scattering five hits over the complete game. 

Barron, Bennett and Tindol each recorded two hits on the outing. The right side of the infield pairing of Barron and Bennett combined for eight hits in 14 at bats on the day. 

The Lady Eagles will honor their lone senior, Caitlin Perry, Saturday afternoon when these two sides square off with tournament seeding on the line at 1 p.m.