MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Faulkner got effective pitching and timely hitting Saturday to complete its first SSAC sweep of the season as it took both ends of a doubleheader from Point University.
FAULKNER 3, POINT 1
After taking the first game of the series 14-3 Friday night, the Eagles clinched the set with a 3-1 victory in Saturday's opener. The low-scoring affair saw Faulkner get just enough offense to best Daniel Crabtree, who went the distance for the Skyhawks.
Carter Schellsmidt got the Eagles on the board in the second inning with a solo homer to center.
Orlando Arellano added to the lead in the fourth when he stroked a sacrifice fly to center that plated
Alex Gonzalez.
Arwin Burgos singled in Jonathan Kohlman in the fifth to cut it to 2-1. A stolen base and a balk got the tying run to third before
Marshall Robinson slammed the door by inducing a Dylan Lindsey fly out.
Edrien Martinez wasted little time getting an insurance run for his team as he stroked a leadoff homer to left center in the bottom of the fifth to push it to 3-1. That was enough for the Faulkner bullpen as
Avery Shelton used a strikeout and a double play to face the minimum in the sixth before
Collin Rittenberry worked around an error in the seventh to pick up his third save of the season.
Brandon Napier (3-1) did the heavy lifting on the mound for the Eagles, working four and two-thirds innings while scattering six hits and a pair of walks. He struck out four batters and allowed just one earned run.
FAULKNER 9, POINT 4
The Eagles got the bats going early in the third game of the weekend as Martinez blasted a two-run homer in the first for the 2-0 advantage.
Anthony Bassett Torres then doubled to right to get
Jimmy Perez home for the 3-0 lead. Torres singled to right center to score
Jordan Carter in the third inning to move the lead to 4-0.
Brady Bye got his team on the board in the fourth with a double play ball that allowed Burgos to score. Jonathan Kohlman reached on a single to third to get Jackson Divido home in the fifth inning.
Arellano got a run back for the Eagles in the sixth when his grounder to short got
Shaun Bridges home to set the margin at 5-2. Divido struck again in the seventh with a solo homer before Bailey Stroud's bunt single in the eighth got Kohlman home to narrow it to 5-4.
Newly challenged, Faulkner's bats came to life in the bottom of the eighth. Carter doubled to center to drive in Martinez and
Tevin Landrum. Perez doubled down the left field line to get Carter across. Torres added one more insurance run with a single that got Perez home.
Ramses Guerra (4-0) picked up the win for the Eagles, striking out six batters over seven innings while issuing one walk and scattering five hits. Shelton pitched the eighth before
Winston Person worked a scoreless ninth to finish it.
Faulkner (18-10, 8-4 SSAC) plays a non-conference doubleheader against Mobile Tuesday before heading to Tifton, Ga. to take on No. 24 Abraham Baldwin Friday.
