THOMASVILLE, Ga. – Faulkner split a Saturday doubleheader with Thomas University Saturday to win the SSAC series and move to 5-1 in conference play.
THOMAS 5, FAULKNER 4
The Eagles suffered their first loss of the SSAC slate when they fell behind 5-1 in the second game of the series and could not complete the comeback effort. The Nighthawks struck in the first inning as they sent seven batters to the plate to notch three hits and a walk and push three runs across the plate. Faulkner got one back in the second when Edrien Martinez singled to right and stole second before advancing on an Eduarny Martinez grounder.
Christian Webb hit the sacrifice fly to right to plate the run and cut it to 3-1.
The Eagles could not convert the shutdown inning in the home half as a hit-by-pitch and a single moved an insurance run to third, and a wild pitch allowed it to cross for the 4-1 advantage. Thomas added one more in the third as a Gabe Tafelski singled and later scored on a
Riley Borgert base knock for the 5-1 lead.
Faulkner started to find life in the sixth as
Jeyson Polanco singled and moved up on an Edrien Martinez single to put a pair of runners aboard. Dariel Colon then singled to load the bases before Webb coaxed a walk to narrow it to 5-2. Edrien Martinez later scored on a balk to draw the Eagles to within two.
The Eagles tried to rally in the seventh with
Juan Trinidad getting the hit to open the frame before giving way to pinch-runner
Michael Archie II. Two batters later, Polanco singled to right to get runners on the corners with one out. Two batters after that, Edrien Martinez singled up the middle to drive in Archie and cut it to 5-4. A plunking of Eduarny Martinez loaded the bases and gave Faulkner a chance to steal the game but a flyball to center ended it.
Thomas Wilhite (3-1) took the loss in a complete game effort, allowing nine hits and five runs over six. Following the tumultuous first three innings, he settled in and surrendered only one hit over the final three frames.
FAULKNER 11, THOMAS 6
The rubber game in the series saw
Mose Hayes look virtually unhittable in the early going as he kept the Nighthawks from posting a base knock until the fourth inning. Hayes kept Thomas scoreless through five before getting chased in the sixth inning. The Nighthawks posted three in the frame to cut into what had been a 10-0 Faulkner lead. The Nighthawks posted three more in the seventh to cut it to 10-6 and get themselves back in the game.
Horacio Cruz and
Jordan Destefano effectively slammed the door for the Eagles, combining to cover 2.2 innings of works while allowing one hit, issuing no walks and striking out four batters.
The Eagles got the bats going early in the game as Colon scored on an error for the 1-0 lead before Webb launched a three-run bomb to left to stake Hayes to a 4-0 advantage. Eduarny Martinez hit a two-run homer later in the inning for the 6-0 lead.
Trinidad continued to play long-ball in the fourth when he hit a solo shot to left. Later in the fourth, Eduarny Martinez hit his second homer of the game and fifth of the week with a two-run shot to left to move it to 9-0.
Seth Copeland got a base hit in the fifth to plate
Jack Brinkley for the 10-0 lead. The Eagles added one more run in the eighth on an Eduarny Martinez single to plate
Marlon Oviedo and make it 11-6.
Hayes (4-0) worked five and one-third innings and struck out six while scattering two hits and walking four to pick up the win.
Faulkner (14-3, 5-1 SSAC) returns to action Friday when it travels to Blue Mountain Christian to open a three-game SSAC series. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
