MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Faulkner enters the SSAC Baseball Championship on a high note earning a walkoff win against Point to take one of the three against the Skyhawks with a 7-6 win after an 11-0 loss to open the day Friday afternoon at Harrison Field on senior day.
POINT 11, FAULKNER 0
The Skyhawks scored early and often and used a first inning grand slam from Rafael Jackson who also added three doubles on a 4-4 day with seven RBIs to cruise to the series win. Point turned six hits into five runs in the first and proceeded to shut down the Eagles, holding them to just four hits over the contest.
Point added two more in the second and fourth and one in the third to take a 10-0 lead before scoring again in the sixth to end it.
Tyberius Correa was great in relief of Ozuna who took his first loss of the season on the hill. Correa struck out five over 5.1 innings and gave Faulkner a chance to get back into it allowing just four runs over that time, but the bats just could not find it.
FAULKNER 7, POINT 6
Late dramatics have become synonymous with Faulkner Baseball as of late. The regular season finale was no different, going to a sacrifice squeeze play in the ninth for Faulkner to win after trailing by multiple runs twice.
The decisive moment started in the ninth as
Johnny Lopez drew a walk to lead off.
Jeremy Moore replaced him at first and
Zakary Farris followed with a walk as well. Eduarny Martinez's grounder advanced Moore and put runners on the corners with one out where
Drew Mackie, who started his first game since February 24, dropped a bunt to the pitcher and Moore slid in to score the game winning run.
The ninth became interesting after a pair of near misses in the outfield, one a home run robbery attempt from
Evan Gilliam that he could not hold onto but held the batter to a double and another a Mackie drop in right to score three runs to flip a 4-3 Faulkner lead back to the visitors 6-4.
Mackie responded masterfully with a double down the right field line to cash in a leadoff single from Martinez before
Wesley Estrella singled him home to tie it.
After Point scored two in the second and one in the third to take a 3-0 lead into the fourth, Faulkner plated two when Lopez again drew a leadoff walk. Martinez also followed with a one-out walk.
Tuane Cope also drew a walk to load the bases with two outs. Estrella hit a ball to second and the fielder tried to get Cope out but was unable to and allowed Lopez to score with an RBI for the Faulkner first baseman.
Jorge Lucero drew another bases loaded walk to make it 3-2.
Martinez led off the sixth, ambushing the first pitch and launching a solo home run, his 10th of the season, to tie the game.
Faulkner scratched ahead 4-3 with a pair of errors in the seventh to score Lucero.
Martinez recorded two hits and scored three times.
Mose Hayes was excellent to start the game going seven innings and allowing just three runs while fanning four.
Jordan Destefano entered with two runners on and one out and settled in after surrendering a two-run double and got out of the inning with a runner on third. In the ninth, he ran into some early trouble and ended up with two on and two outs but coaxed a popup to
Christian Webb to get out unscathed and earn the win on the hill.
The Eagles await the result of Saturday's contest between UT Southern and Blue Mountain to determine their Wednesday opponent. A UT Southern win will see the Firehawks tie with the Night Hawks and they own the tiebreaker for winning the season series, setting Thomas in the eight seed and making them Faulkner's first opponent in pool play. A Blue Mountain win will see the Eagles take on the Toppers Wednesday. The other opponents in Pool A will be No. 4 seed Loyola and No. 5 seed Mobile.
Faulkner, as the one seed, earned the option to play at 1 p.m. or 7 p.m. every day in pool play and elected to take the 1 p.m. games Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Should the Eagles win the pool, the championship game is set for Saturday at 1 p.m.
