MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Faulkner (22-12, 10-8 SSAC) split its Monday doubleheader with SSAC foe Brewton-Parker (17-19, 6-12 SSAC) on an unusually chilly day in April in Montgomery at Wynn Field taking game one 7-1 before falling 7-2 in the second.
FAULKNER 7, BREWTON-PARKER 1
The Lady Eagles gave up one unearned run in the first inning of game one and quickly bounced back on the way to a 7-1 victory.
Meagan Schwieterman (10-5) confounded the Barons, fanning six batters over seven innings of work while scattering three hits and a walk. She faced just 26 hitters in the complete game win.
After MacKenzie Tripp reached on an error in the top of the first inning, Abbey Flowers doubled her home to put Brewton-Parker ahead 1-0.
Faulkner wasted little time in response as
Shelbie Burbage singled to open the home half of the frame and scored on a
Gracie Pittman sacrifice fly.
Erika Mitchell followed with a double to plate
Caity Jo Lee, who had singled earlier in the inning. The swing put Faulkner up 2-1.
The score stayed there until the bottom of the fourth when the Lady Eagles struck for three runs.
Tara Ammons singled home Lee and
Brianna Cagle to push the lead to 4-1. Pittman then drove in Ammons with a single to stretch the advantage to 5-1.
Faulkner touched home twice more in the sixth inning when Mitchell doubled in Lee before scoring on a throwing error. Mitchell, Faulkner's third baseman turned in a perfect 4-for-4 performance at the dish, lifting her season batting average to .483.
BREWTON-PARKER 7, FAULKNER 2
Faulkner took a third inning lead before a tumultuous top of the fourth handed Faulkner its third SSAC doubleheader split of the season.
Cagle led off the third with a single before sharp baserunning got her to third off of
Kaileigh Harrison's bunt. Burbage's sac fly scored her fellow outfielder for the first run of the contest. Ammons followed with a double to score Harrison to take a 2-0 lead into the fourth. That's when things got weird quickly.
Back-to-back singles opened the fourth before a double steal put two runners in scoring position for Madisen Nelson who advanced her runners 60 feet. Cailyn Snellgrove's attempt at a bunt appeared to be a failed sacrifice, but a throwing error played the tying run. With one out and runners on second and third, Olivia Whitt hit a single up the middle where Burbage fired home where Pittman seemingly made the second out comfortably and kept the game at 3-2. However, Snellgrove brushed Morrison on her second step and was enough to be ruled interference and scored the run. After the discussion of the call, the defense misplayed a bunt, allowing Abby Cox to drive in a run with a bunt double to take a 5-2 lead.
After two one-two-three trips to the plate, Faulkner found two hits in the sixth, but the Lady Eagles couldn't cut into the deficit.
The Barons plated two more in the seventh, but the insurance runs became simply academic as the Lady Eagles could not cut into the 7-2 scoreline.
Katelynn Inness (5-5) struck out eight and allowed just three earned in the loss.
Faulkner welcomes No. 3 Mobile Thursday at 3 p.m. for another SSAC contest.
