Faulkner, Brewton-Parker split doubleheader
The dugout clears to applaud Austin Adams who's walk-off two-run homer clinched game one
March 7
After a very convincing 13-3 victory over Brewton-Parker on Friday evening, Faulkner entered Saturday’s doubleheader looking for the series sweep. The Eagles trailed late in both games and though last minute heroics catapulted the home team to a 4-3 game one win; the Barons proved too much in the final contest and clinched the 8-7 victory.
Senior Winston Stone goes yard against the Barons in game one of the afternoon
Game one was a battle to the final at bat. Faulkner trailed 2-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth when senior Winston Stone found deep right center and more with his solo home run. The score pulled the Eagles within one, but the Barons bounced back leaving Faulkner facing a 3-1 deficit in the bottom of the seventh.
Austin Adams rocks a two-run walk-off screamer in game one
With one out and runners at the corners, junior Chris Myles rocked a hopper to third scoring a run. Myles beat the ball to first, but was called out giving Austin Adams two outs and a runner at second.
After fouling off a pair of pitches, Adams sent an 0-2 fastball screaming over the left field wall for the walk-off home run. The senior was 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
Stone finished the game 1-for-2 with a home run and Kevin Leslie was 2-for 3.
Jacob Simmons gets a strikeout in game one
Jacob Simmons (2-1) held the mound for the Eagles through all seven innings. The sophomore from Pleasant Grove allowed only three hits and gave up three earned runs while striking out five in the win.
Shortstop Austin Adams makes a great stop before gunning down the runner at first
Armed with the game one momentum, the Eagles jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the second event. The Barons rebounded quickly however, and carried a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the fourth.
Again, it was Stone who broke the offensive silence with his second home run of the afternoon. The solo shot tied the game at 3 apiece to start the fifth inning.
Repeat perfomrance (yes, it's a different picture); Stone goes yard, again in game two
Senior pitcher Ryan Chase (1-1) carried the Eagles through four innings giving up only two hits and an earned run while adding four strikeouts. Roberto Ferguson took over in the fifth, but the change in tempo did little for Faulkner’s defense. The sophomore tallied a strikeout, but gave up two hits and allowed three earned runs.
Ryan Chase leads the Eagles' defense through four innings in game two
The Eagles found themselves in a 6-3 rut, but the run shortage was short lived. Senior catcher Kevin Boyd rocked a solo homer to get things started for the offense and Adams added to his series slugging with another solo home run.
As soon as things started to click for Faulkner, they began to unwind. The error light on the scoreboard seemed to pulse erratically as the Eagles struggled with ball control. Back-to-back bobbles in left field helped push the Barons to an 8-5 lead. The home team would have six errors before the game’s end.
Senior Kevin Boyd celebrates with his teammates after his first home run in game two
Trailing by three runs in their final at bat the Eagles were convinced that they could pull off another seventh inning comeback. Cody Bridgman was the first to take on the challenge and his solo home run was the spark the team was looking for. Boyd would follow suit with a homer of his own, cutting the Baron lead to a single run.
Cody Bridgman finds the other side of the fence with this blast in the second game
Solid fielding by Brewton-Parker, however, cut the Eagles’ rally short when senior David Holcombe grounded out to second with a runner on first.
Daniel Esparza pitched the final two innings for Faulkner. The junior had two strikeouts and gave up only one hit and allowed no earned runs.
Daniel Esparza takes the mound for the last two innings
Adams was 3-for-3 in the game with a double and a home run and Boyd finished 2-for-3 with a pair of homers.
Stone and Bridgman were each 1-for-3 with a home run.
“We’re disappointed with the last game because we didn’t play defense,” said head coach Brent Barker. “We gave it away with seven earned runs and we had some misplayed balls late in the game. We hit well late, but it wasn’t enough this time and we didn’t get the sweep”
The big red machine does it again; Kevin Boyd hits his second homer of the game in the seventh
When asked about his team’s overall performance in the series Barker commented on the explosive offensive potential. “I haven’t seen this much power in a long time,” he said. “It’s very encouraging.” In all, the Eagles had a staggering 12 home runs in the three game series against the Barons.
Barker also noted Adams’ outstanding performance throughout the weekend. The senior had a tremendous series overall going 8-for-10 with two doubles, four home runs, six RBIs, six runs scored and a stolen base. He also pitched four innings in the series opener and gave up only one earned run while striking out four batters in the win.
Austin Adams hits another homer run, his fourth in the three-game series
Faulkner (13-8) is currently third in the Southern States Athletic Conference standings at 3-1 in the league. The Eagles will resume play Monday afternoon against Reinhardt College in Waleska, Ga. The conference doubleheader is scheduled for 11 a.m. Central Time.
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Austin Adams was 13-for-22 with six home runs, two doubles, 11 RBIs, 11 runs scored and two stolen bases in six games this week. The senior has hit at least one home run in each of his last five games and ties senior Kevin Leslie for first with seven total on the season for the Eagles.