DAPHNE, Ala. - Faulkner (27-12, 11-7 SSAC) got revenge on United States Sports University (12-21) for taking Game 2 at Wynn Field in March, sweeping a doubleheader at Daphne Sports Complex on Wednesday. The Lady Eagles from Montgomery took the contests in completely opposite ways, grinding out a 2-0 Game One win in a defensive battle before turning around and scoring the most runs in recorded program history with 24 in a run-rule Game Two victory. Faulkner combined for 24 hits in the sweep.
FAULKNER 2, USSU 0
The first game featured an absolute pitching duel between Addison Moseley and USSU's Breana Barnes with a combined 10 strikeouts in a full seven innings for each. Moseley struck out six while tying her career-best mark of two hits allowed and setting a new full-game career record of three runners allowed on base with two singles and a hit-by-pitch. Faulkner earned eight hits off Barnes with just two coming around to score on earned runs.
Through five innings, the contest had only seen four baserunners, with all of them being left on. That changed in the top of the sixth, as Bailea Boone led off with a single. She moved to second on a Chloe Davidson sac bunt and stole third before breaking the scoreless drought on a sac fly from Anna Catherine Segrest. Addyson Jarman proceeded to lace a double down the left field line, and Sarah Williams singled her home. Moseley and the defense registered their third straight three-up-three-down inning in the bottom half. A pair of fielder's choices in the top of the seventh stranded singles from Campbell Hecklinski and Boone, but Moseley responded with a strikeout and inducing first-pitch flyouts around a single to wrap things up.
FAULKNER 24, USSU 5
In contrast to innings in Game One with nearly the minimum batting, Faulkner went all the way through the lineup in the first inning alone, batting ten before sending 14 to the dish and scoring nine runs in the fourth frame and 11 batters scoring eight more in the fifth in a Game Two bloodbath.
Boone played in the leadoff spot for the first time in her college career with Davidson hobbled on her last at-bat of Game One, and the Holtville, Ala., did yeoman's work. She drew a four-pitch walk to lead off the game ahead of Segrest absorbing a beanball and Jarman reaching on an error to load the bases. Williams doubled to plate Boone and Segrest. After Madelyn Becker got on with the first pitch she saw hitting her, Kelbi Johnson hit into a fielder's choice in left as Jarman scored. An Abrianna Davis single juiced the bases once more and Abbie Davis hit a two-RBI single to score Becker and Johnson and make it 5-0 half an inning into the contest.
Aralee Beene did the same as Boone, taking a four-pitch walk on her team's leadoff at-bat before advancing to third on a single and a groundout and scoring on a sacrifice fly. Becker then caught a lineout from AB Parrish to limit the host Lady Eagles to one run. Jarman singled in the second inning, manufacturing a run with a flyout and two wild pitches, scoring on the latter to get the run back. Mandi Hart caught a flyout in left field, Becker produced a groundout to third and Segrest caught a popup at short to strand two runners for a scoreless bottom half. Abrianna Davis then led off the third with a single, got to second on a sac bunt and stole third before scoring on a Boone grounder that pitcher Ryleigh Merritt mishandled.
With one out in the top of the fourth, another error on Merritt to get Williams aboard and singles by Becker, Johnson and Abrianna Davis got Merritt pulled after two more runs scored to make it 9-1. However, it would only get worse as Faulkner terrorized reliever McKynzi Dawson to the tune of six hits, two walks and 10 runs in just 0.2 innings. Hart's sac bunt scored Johnson and Hart reached as third baseman Isabelle Calagaz airmailed her throw to first. Abbie Davis walked, and Boone singled to right to bring in Abrianna Davis and Hart. Segrest singled to center to load up the bases before Jarman hit one to the same spot to plate Abbie Davis and Boone. Johnson capped off the fourth inning with a single to score Segrest and Jarman and brought the lead to 16-1. Only one of the nine runs in the frame was earned.
USSU led off the bottom half with two singles to greet Faulkner's defensive substitutions. However, starter Lana Atkins settled in to strike out Sheonte Barginere and Irina Sanford and Beene fouled out to Hart in left to leave the home half unchanged on the scoreboard.
Much to the dread of USSU, the bats had to go back to Faulkner once more before the run-rule could be in effect. Hart reached on another Calagaz miscue, Abbie Davis absorbed a hit from Dawson and Kensley Wesley pinch-hit a single to center. The bases would stay loaded until the 22nd run scored. A Segrest single, hit-by-pitches to Jarman and Taylor Adams, and an Avery Goff single each moved everyone up exactly one base and scored one run to make it 20-1. A Johnson double brought Jarman and Adams home, and groundouts by Abrianna Davis and Hart scored Goff and Johnson, respectively, to score the final Faulkner runs of the day and set the new program record.
USSU managed to fight back in the bottom half, using three singles, a walk, an error and a wild pitch to score four runs and leave Kassidy New and Hayden Beasley with perfect days at the plate. The span was enough to bring in Moseley for her second career relief appearance. She induced a flyout to Abbie Davis in right and then struck out the side to finish off the sweep.
Johnson led the team with six RBI and three runs scored on a 3-5 day; Abrianna Davis also hit .600 on five at-bats. Jarman went 2-4 with three RBI and four runs scored. Segrest was 2-3 with three runs scored and one batted in. Boone, Abrianna Davis, Hart and Abbie Davis each had two RBI and two runs scored, while Williams added two more RBI. Faulkner did its damage with just two extra-base hits. Atkins earned the win in 4.1 innings of work with eight hits, four earned runs, three walks and two strikeouts.
Faulkner makes the return trip to Point for the second leg of the Battle of I-85 and the last road series of the regular season on Saturday at 1 and 3 pm CT.
