LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Faulkner stretched its winning streak to five games Saturday with a pair of victories including one against the No. 2 team in the country.
FAULKNER 13, TOCCOA FALLS 0 (7 Innings)
The Eagles' first game of the afternoon saw
Alexis Saldana twirl a gem, striking out five batters over six innings of work while scattering two hits and a pair of walks.
Chance Denson worked a scoreless seventh to finish the shutout.
Faulkner took advantage of miscues to open the scoring in the second when
Jordan Funk found his way home on a wild pitch. The Eagles stretched the lead in the fourth as
Alex Arauz singled in
Shawn Ross. Funk then doubled home Arauz before
Kevin Saenz ripped a two-run single to plate Funk and
Jack Brinkley for the 5-0 advantage.
Sammy De La Cruz scored on a wild pitch in the fifth to move it to 6-0. Brinkley stroked a solo homer in the sixth before
Ben Hargis scored on a wild pitch to make it 8-0.
Faulkner kept pouring it on in the seventh as
Kam Wells doubled in Ross.
Evan Gilliam hit a sacrifice fly to plate Wells to make it 10-0.
Peyton Davis punctuated the scoring with a three-run homer.
FAULKNER 5, TENNESSEE WESLEYAN 1
The Eagles then outlasted No. 2 ranked Tennessee Wesleyan in a pitcher's duel that snapped the Bulldogs' 23-game win streak.
Juan Trinidad singled in De La Cruz in the sixth to hand Faulkner a 1-0 lead. The unearned run was the only mark surrendered by TWU starter Robert Gonzalez, who struck out 11 batters over six innings of two-hit work.
For his part, Eagle starter
July Sosa proved up to the task as he held Tennessee Wesleyan scoreless over seven innings of work while allowing six hits and a walk. Sosa fanned 11 batters in the effort, holding the Bulldogs long enough for the offense to add insurance runs in the eighth.
Ross tripled with one out in the inning and scored on an Arauz single to make it 2-0. Later in the inning, Funk had the biggest swing of the game when he lifted a three-run homer that drove in Stan Ott and
Ben Hargis.
Brayan Garcia entered a 5-1 game with one out and two on in the ninth. With the tying run in the on-deck circle, he induced a 6-4-3 double play to cap the win.
The game marks the ninth victory in the last 10 games for Faulkner, which will face No. 5 Georgia Gwinnett Sunday at 1 p.m. before traveling to Cumberland University Monday.
