PULASKI, Tenn. - The Eagles won its fifth SSAC series Sunday afternoon with a 7-5 win on the road against the UT Southern Firehawks with some clutch two-out rallies to maintain a two game lead in the league standings halfway through the campaign. 10 of the team's 14 hits came with two outs.
The Firehawks got ahead early, scoring in the first and second around a pair of one-two-three outings in the top half of the first two innings. A pair of two out blasts put the Eagles back on top of the rubber match with the once former and now new SSAC foe. Nine hole hitter
Jorge Lucero blasted a solo shot to left for Faulkner's first hit in its last six innings and second in its last 12.
Evan Gilliam followed with a single before
Juan Trinidad lifted a two run shot to left center to take the 3-2 lead.Â
UTS got the game tied in the fourth, but a throw from left fielder Eduarny Martinez to catcher
Christian Webb cut down the potential go-ahead run. Webb put Faulkner ahead in the sixth with a single to cash in a
Johnny Lopez drawn walk.Â
Gilliam got a two out single just before the stretch and Trinidad followed with a single to put runners on the corners ahead of a stolen base to set up
Orlando Lorduy for a double to plate both the centerfielder and the shortstop. The Eagles added another in the ninth with another two-out RBI as Trinidad scored Gilliam again.Â
Jordan Destefano closed the game out with the tying run at the plate coaxing a fly to Gilliam to end the game and earn his third save.Â
Nicholas Graham picked up the win on the hill holding the Firehawks at bay with just three runs over 5.1 innings.
Hunter Dupuy entered a bases loaded jam in the sixth and got a massive 6-4-3 double play ball to keep the Eagles in the lead before an effective seventh with another double play ball.Â
The Eagles sit at 11-4 in SSAC play and hold a two game advantage over 9-6 Point with 15 games to go in the 30 game schedule. Loyola sits one game back in the loss column with 18 games to go.Â
Faulkner travels to Mobile to take on the Rams Friday for another SSAC series.Â
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