WEST POINT, Ga. – Faulkner rebounded from a game one loss to Point Friday to run away with game two and even the SSAC series at a game apiece.
POINT 3, FAULKNER 2
The Eagles fell behind in a conference series for the first time all season Friday when they dropped game one of the doubleheader 3-2 to the Skyhawks. Dylan Davis (4-2) was effective and efficient in the outing for Point as he worked a seven-inning complete game on 98 pitches while issuing three walks and scattering six hits. He faced the minimum in three of his seven innings of work and shut the Eagles lineup down for the final three frames of the game.
The Skyhawks took a 2-0 lead in the home half of the second on an Arwin Burgos RBI triple and a Keegan Moore sacrifice fly.
Davis worked around one-out double by
Juan Trinidad in the third to preserve the lead before Faulkner got the offense going in the fourth. Eduarny Martinez launched a one-out solo homer for his third blast of the week.
Kenny Di Clemente then walked, moved up on a
Marlon Oviedo walk and scored on a Luis Lizarraga double to tie the game.
Point took the lead back in the bottom of the fourth when Moore singled home Burgos to push the score to 3-2. Marco Ozuna retired the next seven Skyhawk batters he faced. However, Davis all but matched that stretch of dominance by retiring the Eagles in order in the fifth and working around some two-out trouble in the sixth. He got Faulkner 1-2-3 in the seventh to end the game.
Ozuna (7-2) worked six innings while allowing seven hits and three earned runs in the effort. The Eagles managed six total hits as a team.
FAULKNER 18, POINT 7
The Eagles dispelled any notions of an offensive slump in game two of the day as they notched 18 runs on 20 hits in an 18-7 victory over the Skyhawks to pull the series even. Point took a 2-0 lead in the first on an RBI triple from Daniel Gonzalez and a sacrifice fly by Rafael Jackson.
Faulkner responded for a five-spot with two outs in the top of the second to take its first lead of the series. After the first two batters of the inning flied out, Oviedo singled to right. Luis Lizarraga followed with a single to left before
Christian Webb tripled to plate both and tied the game. Webb scored on an error for the 3-2 lead. Trinidad singled ahead of a Polanco homer for the 5-2 advantage.
Orlando Lorduy followed with a triple but the rally ended before he could make across.
The Eagles added to the margin in the third Clemente walked and then scored on an Oviedo double. Lizarraaga later singled before Webb hit a SAC fly to center to get Oviedo home. Trinidad singled to plate Lizarraga and move the lead to 8-2. Point got one back in the third to make it 8-3. The Eagles the run back in the fifth when Trinidad reached on an error and later scored.
Brady Bye got an RBI double and Burgos and RBI single in the fifth for the Skyhawks to cut it back to 9-5. The Eagles got on home in the sixth to move it to 10-5 before Lorduy hit his second triple of the day in the seventh, driving in Polanco to make it 11-5.
After the Skyhawks got one back in the seventh, Faulkner put up a seven-spot in the eighth. Lizarraga opened the frame with a hit-by-pitch and scored on a Webb triple. Polanco tripled to get
John-Michael Riley across. Eduarny Martinez singled home a pair of runners before Di Clemente dropped in a hit to get
Anthony Bassett Torres across. Lizarraga drew a bases-loaded walk to get an RBI and Di Clemente scored on an error.
Faulkner (24-7, 12-5 SSAC) will attempt to win the series Saturday at noon.
