MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Faulkner breezed past Oakwood with an outrageous offensive output of 46 runs in just 12 innings batted in a doubleheader sweep of in-state foe Oakwood Thursday afternoon at Harrison Field to open the season.
FAULKNER 25, OAKWOOD 1
The Eagles rushed out to a 9-0 lead after the first inning with only two singles.
Tuane Cope stole second, drawing a throw down that allowed
Christian Webb to steal home and score the first run of the season. The Eagles stole 10 bases in the frame.
Jorge Lucero singled home two runs.
The Eagles added four more runs in the second, highlighted by an
Orlando Lorduy RBI double. Faulkner plated 11 more runs in the third, with a Cope RBI single scoring
Evan Gilliam and a
Kendall Reese double driving in two.
Zakary Farris singled home
Sebastien Nelson.
Jack Brinkley hit a solo homer in the sixth to cap the scoring for Faulkner.
The Eagles drew 15 walks in the game and stole 11 bases. Lucero finished with three RBIs while Farris, Reese, Cope and Lorduy had two RBIs.
Nicholas Graham (1-0) got the win, striking out 10 batters over four no-hit innings while walking one and issuing just one walk.
Zayn Bates picked up the save by rule, pitching the final three innings while fanning five.
FAULKNER 21, OAKWOOD 1
The Eagles rode a hot first inning highlighted by a grand slam from
Johnny Lopez to another comfortable victory and continued to run the bases well with five steals, all in the first inning, to take a 7-0 lead into the second. Vargas cashed in the Soriano double in the second with a single to increase the lead to eight.
Jorge Lucero's lead off double in the third set the scene for another third inning onslaught with six runs on six hits including scoring five runs in five at bats with Lopez driving in two more on a double before scoring on a Gilliam triple.
Faulkner added seven more in the fourth highlighted by a two-run shot from Lorduy and a two RBI double from
Jack Brinkley before the dogs were called off.
Alexis Saldana picked up the win striking out four over four innings.
Sam Barksdale made his collegiate debut and earned a strikeout in the fifth before
Kelton Pilkinton shut the door in the sixth and seventh with four strikeouts of one-hit pitching.
The pitching staff allowed just eight hits through 14 innings on the afternoon and struck out 24 Ambassadors.
Offensively, the Eagles put together 13 extra base hits on 31 total hits and drew 17 walks to hold the nation's highest slugging percentage (.761), on base percentage (.591) and batting average (.463) at time of writing.
Faulkner goes for the sweep of Oakwood Friday at noon in a scheduled nine inning game.
