LAKELAND, Fla. - Faulkner's season came to a close as the Eagles gave up eight runs with two outs to Milligan Tuesday afternoon at Ted A. Broer Stadium in a 14-9 loss.
Milligan manufactured a double into a run before a two out homer from Brody Melton doubled the lead for the Buffaloes after a strike narrowly missed the zone which would have ended the inning.
The Eagles went quietly through the bottom half and got into trouble to start the second. A walk, error and hit by pitch loaded the bases with one out. The Buffaloes hit a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0 but Napier stopped the damage with two in scoring position with a grounder to third.
Jeyson Polanco drew a leadoff walk but three quick outs ended the second. Napier worked around a leadoff walk and single to put runners on first and third in the top of the third to put a zero on the board.
Milligan got a two out, two run homer in the fourth and loaded the bases. Avery Shelton took over and surrendered a walk to make it 6-0 but got a fly ball to CJ Robertson to end the top of the fourth.
Edrien Martínez pumped a homer to center to start the bottom of the fourth and give the Eagles a spark. Milligan put it back out with a wild pitch and a hit to third and another to left to plate three and make it 9-1.
Jordan Carter reached first and Robertson moved him to second. Edrien Martínez launched another homer to make it 9-3.
Seth Creasy hung a zero in the sixth and Jimmy Perez went yard to open the bottom half before Anthony Bassett Torres followed with another with one out. Dariel Colón singled to chase Milligan starter Jack McLaury with a 9-5 deficit. Creasy put another zero which was thanked with Robertson drawing a leadoff walk before scoring on Perez's third hit of the day to make it 9-6.
Collin Rittenberry entered with bases loaded and nobody out and allowed just one run on a sacrifice fly to keep it a four run game with two more times at the plate. However, Faulkner couldn't score in the bottom eighth and Milligan put it away with four runs with two outs in the ninth.
The Eagles plated three with two outs to start a rally and build a hushed feeling of maybe something magical is about to happen. However, the Eagles couldn't close the gap.
Martínez wraps up the season with 19 home runs, tying Dennis Morton and Nick Cain's 2016 season output for third most behind TJ Condon's and Matt Ames's 21 in 2017 and 2002, respectively, based on our current record books compiled.
Martínez and Perez each had three hits with Bassett and Colón two each.
Faulkner finishes the season 30-24.
