MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Faulkner never said "die" Friday night, rallying to a win against No. 24 Keiser before relying on extra-inning theatrics in a walk-off victory over Indiana Wesleyan.
FAULKNER 4, KEISER 1
Game one of the Eagles' split doubleheader saw the Seahawks take a 1-0 lead in the first before a big fourth inning shifted momentum toward Faulkner. Keiser got a single to right center from Tad Brooks that scored Ty Martinez in the top of the first to go up 1-0.
From there,
Samir Rojas shut everything down. After getting out of the first inning jam with no further damage, Rojas issued a leadoff walk in the second before getting a pop-up on a bunt attempt. Catcher
Carter Schellsmidt helped the cause by throwing a runner out at third on a caught stealing to empty the bases. Rojas then recorded a swinging strikeout to end the frame. A double play ball helped Rojas face the minimum in the third. He then faced one over the minimum in the fourth.
Rojas kept Keiser at bay long enough for the Faulkner bats to get going in the fourth. Edrien Martinez coaxed a leadoff walk and scored on a single to left from
Anthony Bassett Torres. Schellsmidt singled to left and gave way to courtesy runner
Shaun Bridges.
CJ Robertson drove Bridges home with a single to center top put the Eagles up 2-1.
Jimmy Perez then hit an RBI grounder to drive in Torres for the 3-1 advantage.
The Eagles tacked on one more run in the home half of the sixth when Perez singled to left to plate Robertson for the 4-1 lead. The Seahawks loaded the bases in the top of the seventh, triggering Faulkner to summon
Austin Lippolis from the bullpen. He wasted little time inducing a grounder to second to end the game and pick up his second save of the season.
FAULKNER 4, INDIANA WESLEYAN 2
A pitcher's duel broke out in the final game of the day as Faulkner starter
Collin Rittenberry and his IWU counterpart Cam LaFuze each proved highly effective for four innings. Rittenberry struck out six over four innings while issuing one walk and allowing just two hits. The one blemish was a second-inning homer off the bat of catcher Trevor Vojtkofsky.
The Eagle lineup got the run back in short order as
Jordan Carter took a leadoff hit-by-pitch in the second before getting to third on a wild pitch. A Robertson sacrifice fly to left got Carter home to tie the game.
The mistakes in the second inning notwithstanding, LaFuze still proved effective over four and a third innings of work. He struck out two and scattered three hits while working around four walks and exited with the game tied. He gave way to Noah Wathen with a runner on in the fifth. Wathen struck out the first batter he faced and allowed Votjkofsky to end the inning by throwing out a runner at second. Wathen then struck out the side in the sixth to keep the Eagles trailing 2-1.
After Wathen struck out the first batter of the bottom of the seventh, Bridges stepped in to pinch hit and singled down the right field line to get the tying run aboard.
Marlon Oviedo followed as a pinch hitter and absorbed a beanball to get the tying run to second and go-ahead run to first.
After a mound visit, Wathen settled down and fanned the next batter on three pitches for the second out of the seventh. With one strike on him and his team down to its last out,
Orlando Arellano shot one through the left side to get the tying run home. Undaunted, Wathen fanned the next batter to notch his seventh strikeout in two and two-thirds innings of work and send the game to extra innings.
Wathen returned to the hill in the bottom of the eighth. Edrien Martinez legged out an infield single to start the inning and quickly gave way to pinch runner Michael Archie. A wild pitch got Archie into scoring position before Wathen bowed his neck yet again by striking out the next batter.
Jimmy Perez had finally seen enough. He stroked a two-run walk-off homer to left-center to hand the Eagles the 4-2 victory.
Wathen finished with eight strikeouts over three and a third innings of work.
Bracken Rice (1-0) picked up the win with a seven-pitch outing in the eighth.
Collin Netto also featured well in relief, working two shutout innings with two strikeouts.
Faulkner (5-1) returns to action for another split doubleheader Saturday. The Eagles host Keiser at 11 a.m. and Indiana Wesleyan at 2 p.m.
