PULASKI, Tenn. – Faulkner opened its season with a road split against UT Southern Saturday, falling 6-5 in game one before taking the nightcap 9-4.
UT SOUTHERN 6, FAULKNER 5
Miscues bit Faulkner in the home half of the seventh as a pair of errors helped set up a scoring sequence for the Firehawks. Anisten Burleson doubled in a pair of runs to tie the game before Kayla Lawrence walked it off with a double to plate Megan Parrott.
UT Southern got all of its scoring done in the third and seventh innings, plating three runs apiece in the frames. Faulkner scored two in the first, two in the fourth and one in the sixth to carry a 5-3 lead into the seventh.
Gracie Pittman doubled home
Kaileigh Harrison and
Eavie Polk in the first. Harrison walked in the fourth and scored on an
Erika Mitchell single.
Anna Purvis singled and later scored on a wild pitch. Faulkner's final run came in the sixth as
Ivey Hill walked and scored on a
Colby Adams double.
Katelynn Inness struck out seven over five and a third to get the no-decision.
FAULKNER 9, UT SOUTHERN 4
The Lady Eagles got the bats going in the third inning of game two as
Abby Terrell drew a walk and
Anna Purvis singled ahead of a
Gracie Pittman homer to open the scoring. The Firehawks plated two in the home half of the frame to briefly narrow the lead to one.
Eavie Polk doubled home
Markie Hicks in the fourth to move the advantage to 4-2. Pittman drew a bases-loaded walk to drive in
Brianna Boyd, pushing it to 5-2. Faulkner added a run in the fifth when Boyd's walk plated
Ivey Hill.
The Lady Eagles scored three more runs in the seventh as Polk doubled in
AnnaMarie Stooksbury. Terrell made it back-to-back doubles to push the lead to 8-3. Terrell scored the ninth Lady Eagle run on a fielding error.
The effort was more than enough to back up the pitching debut of freshman
Chloe Davidson. She struck out five batters over a complete game performance, while allowing four earned runs for the win.
Faulkner returns to action Monday, Feb. 20 when it hosts Oakwood for a doubleheader.
