GULF SHORES, Ala. - RV Faulkner (11-4) opened its slate in the annual Gulf Coast Invitational on Friday with a split in a pair of contests with other receiving votes squads.  

Texas A&M-Victoria 6, Faulkner 2 

Playing its eighth game in a week's time and its fifth against a ranked or receiving votes seemed to take its toll on Faulkner. A&M-Victoria (13-4, 5-1 RRAC) drew first blood in the second inning with a bases-loaded RBI single by Madison Carr before Faulkner stranded two base runners. Sarah Williams led off the bottom of the frame by reaching on an error and came home on a Kelbi Johnson single. The Jaguars added a scoring single back in the third. In the top of the fifth, the Red River Athletic Conference side loaded the bases with one out on a single, an error and a walk, but Addison Moseley and the defense allowed no runs out of it with a flyout to left and a fielder's choice to second. The Lady Eagle offense suffered another scoreless inning, however, and its second straight three-up, three-down frame.  

After Moseley struck out the leadoff batter in the sixth, the Jaguars got three straight singles with the first batter advancing home on an error before a single scored the second and a triple to right field scored runs five and six, ending Moseley's day. Reece Patterson came on in relief and delivered a K to end the inning. Johnson led off the bottom of the seventh with a double as Chloe Davidson brought her home via a single before the Jaguars produced a double play to finish it off. Davidson was 2-4 as Johnson and Addyson Jarman were 2-3. Zoe Hardy got the win with five strikeouts for A&M-Victoria. 

Faulkner 10, Williams Baptist 2 

Defense reigned throughout the first 2.2 innings, when Mandi Hart drew a walk with two gone in the top of the third. Davidson singled her to second until the senior left fielder came home on an RBI single by Anna Catherine Segrest. With one gone in the top of the fourth, Williams doubled to left before giving way to pinch runner Khloe Jones, who scored on an RBI single from Kensley Wesley. After an Abbie Davis single and another walk by Hart, Davidson brought Wesley home on a single before Segrest singled and brought in Davis and Hart for her second and third RBIs to make the score 5-0 over WBC (13-7). In each inning, the defense lived up to its end of the bargain by holding the Lady Eagles from Walnut Ridge, Ark., to three-up, three-down frames. 

A pitching change in the fifth inning helped shut Faulkner out. The WBU leadoff batter then walked, an RBI triple got the American Midwest Conference school on the board, and the second batter came home right after on a sac fly. A groundout to Abrianna Davis, starting in the circle, ended the frame, and Abbie Davis immediately got a run back with a single that she turned into an inside-the-park home run on an error by the right fielder.  

In the top of the seventh, Jarman drew a leadoff walk before stealing second and taking third on a Madelyn Becker single. Abby Terrell pinch ran for Becker, and as she stole second, Jarman came home on an error by the second baseman. Terrell then stole third and scored on a Wesley sac bunt. The latter reached safely on an error on the play and came home on an Abbie Davis triple. The scoring ended as Davis touched home as Campbell Hecklinski reached on an error. The defense then stranded two for WBU to salvage the split. 

Davidson and Davis both went 3-4 with an RBI. Williams was 2-3 and Segrest finished 2-4 with three RBI. Abrianna Davis improved to 4-0 so far in her freshman year, going the whole way for the third time, allowing only four hits and two walks with two strikeouts. 

Day 2 for the Lady Eagles starts at 1:30 pm against Bethel before taking on sister school Freed-Hardeman at 3:45.