MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Faulkner (16-10, 6-4 SSAC) used a big day at the plate and on the mound from Samir Rojas to take the first game of the Battle of I-85 rivalry in a run-rule decision 14-3 over Point (12-15, 2-8 SSAC) on Friday at Harrison Field.
The defense helped Rojas recover from a hit-by-pitch and a walk on his first two batters, as Carter Schellsmidt threw to Anthony Bassett Torres at short to catch the first stealing and basemen Edrien Martínez, Jimmy Perez and Alex Gonzalez combined for a double play to strand the second one. Another double play from Gonzalez to Bassett Torres and back to Gonzalez at first stranded the lone baserunner in the second inning.
In the bottom of the second, a pair of walks, a single and a fielder's choice loaded the bases for a walk to Orlando Arellano to open the scoring. Dariel Colón then launched a double to left center to clear the bases and make the score 4-0 heading into the third. In that frame, Perez drew a walk and came around to score on a passed ball. Bassett Torres then plated Tevin Landrum with a groundout. Gonzalez singled and CJ Robertson reached on catcher's interference, and they would score on an error as Arellano reached and got to third, where he would score on a Colón single. By the time the Skyhawks ended the inning, they had fallen behind 9-0 in giving up five runs, all unearned.
An error and a wild pitch would lead to Point getting on the board in the fourth, as Faulkner got back on offense with another acrobatic catch by Bassett Torres for the lineout just like his save against Brewton-Parker Christian. Jordan Carter got the run back for the Eagles as he led off the bottom with a double, advanced one bag on a passed ball and scored on a Schellsmidt grounder. Rojas struck out two in the top of the fifth around a groundout, the second stranding a baserunner. Marlon Oviedo led off the bottom half with a single and got home on a Martínez single for an 11-1 lead.
Not to be outdone, Bailey Stroud led off the sixth with a single for Point and stole two bases before getting his team within nine on a Brady Bye triple to right. Bye then touched home on a Garrison Coleman single before Rojas struck out the side looking to end his day and limit the damage at an eight-run margin.
Faulkner then took Point defensive infield subs on the chin, loading the bases on a Shaun Bridges single and walks to Schellsmidt and Bassett Torres. Oviedo scored the first on a grounder and Arellano's single scored the next two runners to get back into run-rule territory. The Faulkner substitutions then flowed freely as Caden White entered in relief in the seventh. The defense promptly registered a clinching three-up, three-down inning on a groundout to Logan Starnes at short, a lineout to Landrum in centerfield and a backward K by White.
Rojas upped his season record to 4-1 with six hits scattered, four strikeouts and one walk. Arellano and Colón combined for nine of Faulkner's 13 RBI. Colón and Gonzalez led the team with two 2-4 days at the plate.
Game 2 of the Battle of I-85 starts on Saturday at 1 pm with Game 3 to follow.
