BLUE MOUNTAIN, Miss. - The air was cold for the second Friday in April, but the bats were red-hot for the Lady Eagles (19-11, 7-7 SSAC) as they plated 28 runs in 12 innings during a doubleheader split with Blue Mountain (13-17, 4-12 SSAC), taking game one with a program's best win margin 19-1 in game one before dropping a back-and-forth affair 10-9 in game two.
FAULKNER 19, BLUE MOUNTAIN 1 (5 Inn.)
The Lady Eagles opened the floodgates early and often against the Lady Toppers in the largest conference win in program history. The 19 runs ranks third in program history against NAIA or NCAA opponents. Faulkner scored 20 on Alabama State Februrary 18, 2002 and again against conference foe Shorter March 12, 2004. It is tied for sixth in program history.
Caity Jo Lee doubled in the first inning before taking advantage of a two-out throwing error on
Gracie Pittman's grounder to score the first run before
Erika Mitchell traded places with the backstop to turn it to a 2-0 game in the top of the first.
Meagan Schwieterman worked a one-two-three inning to put the bats back in her teammates's hands. The offense thanked her with a five spot as
Brianna Cagle,
Kaileigh Harrison and
Shelbie Burbage turned in consecutive hits to score the senior right fielder.
Tara Ammons's double scored two more before Pittman launched her fifth home run of the season to turn it to a 7-0 ball game.
Blue Mountain threatened in the third, loading the bases for Lane Thaxton but the pitcher could not help her own cause as Schwieterman fanned her.
Jordan Boyd's drove in a run in the fourth with a bases loaded sacrifice fly and
Nicole Morrison added two more with a single to center field. Ammons started the fifth inning scoring with a sacrifice fly to score Burbage before
Ivey Hill took over the designated player spot for her former juco teammate Pittman and hit her second home run of the season to push it to a 13-0 game. Eight of the next nine found a way on board with six singles and two errors to total nine runs in the fifth to lead by 19.
The Toppers got one back in the fifth, but could not close the gap anymore. Schwieterman earned her eighth win of the season, allowing just five runners and no runs over four innings with four strikeouts. Eight different Lady Eagles recorded multiple hits led by Burbage, Ammons and Morrison's three. Nine different batters drove in at least one run with Ammons delivering in five and Hill's three.
Faulkner scored all 19 runs without the benefit of a walk or hit by pitch with 21 hits and seven BMC errors.
BLUE MOUNTAIN 10, FAULKNER 9
The lead changed hands five times and was tied once in the nightcap before the Lady Eagles fell in walkoff fashion.
Madison McKee's single scored
Courtney Haynie from second who replaced Pittman who was hit by a pitch in the seventh to tie the game at nine, but Blue Mountain turned in a sacrifice fly to take the win and share the daily spoils.
A sacrifice fly got the Lady Toppers on top first, but back-to-back jacks from Ammons and Pittman put Faulkner ahead 3-1 in the fourth as Ammons drove in Lee, too, with her fourth home run of the season. In the bottom half of the frame, Blue Mountain answered back and took a 4-3 lead that would be short-lived as Lee delivered a bases-loaded double to clear the bases and take a 6-3 lead in the top of the fifth. Pittman's massive day continued with her seventh home run of the season to open the game up to 8-3. However, the Lady Toppers battled back and took a 9-8 lead in the sixth with two in the fifth and one in the sixth.
Pittman ended the contest 2-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Lee also had three RBIs and two runs.
The Lady Eagles travel to Stillman (12-24, 2-16 SSAC) to take on the Tigers Saturday at 2 p.m.
