Faulkner remained unbeaten in the SSAC Baseball Championship at Paterson Field with a 6-1 win over Bethel in a game that started late Thursday night and ended just before 1 a.m. Friday.

Evan Gillespie (JR/Princeton, N.J.) worked a complete game for Faulkner, scattering five hits over nine innings while striking out seven batters. The Eagles provided the offense their ace needed beginning in the fifth after trailing 1-0 through the first half of the game.

Faulkner loaded the bases with nobody out in the fifth before John Michael Mathews (JR/Birmingham, Ala.) stroked a sacrifice fly to right to plate Jacob Freeland (SR/Cape Coral, Fla.). Jonathan Villa (JR/Ensenada, Mexico) followed with a double that drove in Troy Black (SO/Dayton, Ohio) to put Faulkner up 2-1.

The Eagles stretched the lead in the eighth with a three spot. Hagen Holmstead (JR/Salt Lake City, Utah) singled in DeJhard Kimbrough (JR/Atlanta, Ga.) and Marcus Ragan (SR/Vicksburg, Miss.) to put the Eagles up 4-1. Freeland's single in the ensuing at-bat plated Mike Battle (JR/Birmingham, Ala.) for the 5-1 advantage. Mathews added to the lead in the ninth with a solo shot to left for his first homer as an Eagle.

The result sends Bethel to an elimination game with Brewton-Parker Friday. Faulkner (44-10) will play the winner of that contest at 7 p.m.