MOBILE, Ala. - The No. 10 Eagles took two from in-state rival Mobile (8-12, 7-7 SSAC), fueled by home runs in game one and constant base runners in game two with 5-4 and 13-5 wins Saturday afternoon at Jacobs Field in SSAC play. Faulkner (23-7, 13-4 SSAC) sealed its sixth straight SSAC series win of the season with the pair of victories.
FAULKNER 5, MOBILE 4
Two home runs proved enough to prop another excellent outing from
Marco Ozuna who improved to a nation's best 8-0 after allowing just three hits and two earned over five.
Orlando Lorduy launched a two-run homer to center with two outs in the third to take a 2-0 lead for his sixth home run of the season.
Ozuna coaxed a one-two-three inning and got the bats back into Faulkner's hands where a pair of walks set up for a
Jorge Lucero three-run shot with two outs in the fourth for homers in back-to-back contests and to take a 5-0 lead.
Mobile battled back with three runs in the bottom half to make things very interesting down the stretch. After a three-up, three-down top of the fifth Mobile hit a solo homer to cut it to one.
The Eagles put two on in the sixth with no outs, but could not get past second base as the Rams escaped a dangerous scenario. The Rams followed in the bottom half getting runners on second and third but the Faulkner designated hitter,
Francisco Soriano, took the mound in relief and worked out of the jam unscathed.
Faulkner had a chance again in the seventh with bases loaded with one out but again could not add to the narrow 5-4 lead before
Hunter Dupuy entered his 12th game for the Eagles to seek his third save of the season.
Dupuy worked a three-up, three-down inning behind an unbelievable grab by Eduarny Martinez who made the grab with no regard for his own safety, leaping into the wall and holding onto the final out of the game.
FAULKNER 13, MOBILE 5
The Eagles got aboard early and often and touched home almost more often than not to clinch the series with 10 hits, 11 walks and three hit by pitches offensively to breeze past the Rams in the nightcap.
Faulkner plated five in the first started by back-to-back singles from leadoff man
Evan Gilliam and
Juan Trinidad. The duo pulled off a double steal before an errant throw brought home Gilliam.
Johnny Lopez's single brought in the shortstop ahead of a
Christian Webb walk to set the table for Eduarny Martinez. The left fielder, who about 30 minutes prior made an absurd play in left field to end game one, launched an absolute tank job to left to take a 5-0 lead. Following a Soriano single, the Eagles chased the starter just one out into the game.
The Eagles would add two more in the fifth after a two-out triple from Soriano scored
Tuane Cope who ran for Webb after a one-out single.
Wesley Estrella singled Soriano home the next at bat. Gilliam led off in the sixth with a walk and Lorduy hit his second homer of the day to take a 9-0 lead.
Mose Hayes (3-0) was more than enough on the hill for the win in his second start, allowing just four hits in six innings of two-run pitching while striking out five and allowing just two free passes. A two-out double from the Rams in the sixth was the only scoreline blemish on the Alaskan's stat line.
Trinidad's seventh inning double got the two runs back and put Faulkner up 11-2 where
Alexis Saldana took over on the hill. The Rams got three in the seventh, but Saldana got out of the inning with a 11-5 lead and sat down six of the next seven batters to earn his second career save with three innings of closeout work.
Trinidad's bases-loaded walk and Lorduy's sacrifice fly added two more in the ninth to put the finishing touches on the game.
Eight different Eagles recorded a hit while Trinidad and Soriano each had two. Trinidad, Lorduy and Martinez each had three RBIs.
The two sides have now played four games this year after splitting a nonconference doubleheader Feb. 27 and the Eagles lead the season series 3-1
Faulkner still holds its two game lead in the Southern States Athletic Conference over Point (20-9, 11-6 SSAC) with 13 league games to go.
Faulkner goes for the conference series sweep in Mobile Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.
