DAYTON, Tenn. – Neither hitting records nor earned run averages were safe Tuesday as Faulkner and Bryan College assaulted the scoreboard in a midweek tilt at Senter Field. After the teams combined for 34 hits and 34 runs, the visiting Eagles boarded the bus with an 18-16 win on their ledger.
The teams combined to use 11 pitchers to cover nine innings, in large part because of the way the ball was flying out of the yard. Faulkner and Bryan hit a total 15 homers in the contest with the Eagles swatting eight of those to set program and SSAC records.
Eduarny Martinez blasted homers in his first three at-bats of the game to tie a program record previously held by Dennis Morton who hit three off Lewis-Clark State in the NAIA World Series June 3, 2016.
After Bryan took a 2-0 lead in the first, Edrien Martinez started the Faulkner fireworks in the top of the second with a solo homer to center. Eduarny Martinez followed with one of his own to tie the game.
Juan Trinidad then blasted a two-run shot to center for the 4-2 lead.
Jeyson Polanco later made it four round-trippers in the frame when he hit a two-run bomb to right for the 6-2 advantage.
Bryan got back in it in the home half of the inning with a two-run shot from Will Curcio. Eduarny Martinez struck again in the third with a solo shot to center to push the margin to 7-4 before Bryan's Cade Cook hit one out to left in the home half.
Eduarny Martinez deposited another shot beyond the right field fence with a two-run blast in the fourth to move it to 9-5.
Kenny Di Clemente when launched a solo drive to left ot make it 10-5.
Curcio hit another solo bomb in the fourth before Jake Sabo did the same to narrow it back to 10-7. Polanco answered in the sixth with his second homer of the day when he hit a solo drive to right.
Chris Hall put a charge into one in the sixth for a two-run bomb to cut it to 11-9. Faulkner found a way to score while keeping the ball in the yard in the seventh as
Anthony Bassett Torres grounded out to drive in Di Clemente. Polanco then singled to right to plate
D'Anthony Marks to make it 13-9 in the seventh. Di Clemente then singled in
Kendall Reese in the eighth before
Christian Webb doubled to center to drive in Di Clemente and Eduarny Martinez.
John-Michael Riley followed with a single to get Webb home for the 17-9 lead.
Bryan kept playing long-ball in the eighth as Kris Levensteins hit a three-run shot before Dante Morton launched a grand slam to cut it to 17-16. Faulkner added an insurance run in the nine when Di Clemente drew a bases-loaded walk to get
Orlando Lorduy home for the 18-16 lead.
Jordan Destefano worked around a Curcio double in the ninth to finish off the game.
The Eagles' first 11 runs of the game came via the homer and the final seven were scored with the ball staying in the yard.
Faulkner (12-2) resumes SSAC competition Friday at 5 p.m. when it travels to Thomas University.
