Eagles take two in Berry series
March 15, 2008
Montgomery, Ala. – Faulkner hosted their third conference series of the year this weekend, this time with Berry College. The Vikings entered the series at 15-7 on the year and 4-5 in the SSAC. The Eagles put on a dominating display in Friday’s game blistering the visitors 14-7. On Saturday the teams entered a doubleheader which the Eagles began with a 7-6 win. The Vikings proved too strong at the plate in game three however, and Berry took the game 20-11.
Berry took control of game one early starting the event with a 3-0 first inning lead. The Eagles were able to answer with three runs of their own in the bottom of the second however, and added two more in the third. After a scoreless fourth Faulkner went back to the plate and put up five additional runs. The Vikings bounced back in the sixth with three more hits, but couldn’t stop the Eagles slug fest. Faulkner jammed the scoreboard four more times in the seventh inning. Though the visitors were able to reel in a run in the ninth it proved too little too late and the Eagles earned an impressive 14-7 victory.
Brent DeFoor opened the series for the Eagles. After giving up three hits and three earned runs in the first inning the senior went to work. Over the next six innings he would give up only three more hits and three earned runs and finished with eight strikeouts. Jordan Cowart finished game one for the birds. He allowed one hit and one earned run while adding a strikeout.
The Eagles’ offense put up 15 hits against the Vikings in game one. Kevin Leslie and Jonathan Gober were each 2-for-5 and Leslie added a pair of RBIs. Kevin Villarreal was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and Topher Blanchette was 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Austin Adams finished the game 2-for-4 with an RBI and Winston Stone went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Jose Morillo was 1-for-2 with a home run.
Game two of the series was a tighter battle. The Eagles took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but the Vikings were able to tie it up in the top of the third. Berry squeezed into a 2-1 lead in the fourth, but the Eagles answered back that same inning to bring the game back to a tie. Faulkner opened the door wider in the fifth by bringing in four runs then proceeded to add another in the sixth. The Vikings were relentless however, and came only a run shy of tying it in the seventh inning. The Eagles held on for the 7-6 win.
Mitch Whatley held the mound for just over four innings in game one. The junior gave up five hits and two earned runs while striking out one. Ryan Chase came in for two innings and gave up six hits and two earned runs. Austin Adams finished game two for the Eagles and gave up three hits and a pair of earned runs.
Jose Morillo was 2-for-4 in game two with two RBIs. Kevin Leslie and Chris Myles were each 2-for-3 with an RBI and Kevin Villarreal was 1-for-1 with an RBI.
The Vikings’ bats began to become more of a threat in game two as they contributed 14 hits. The Eagles remained confident, but it soon became apparent that Berry had no intentions of letting the home team sweep the series. The Vikings exploded at the plate in the final game and Faulkner could do little to stop the onslaught. Berry scored in all but the seventh inning and never trailed.
The Vikings went to work early and jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. They put up another run in the second and added a pair of scores in the third. After two scoreless innings the Eagles put up a pair of homers and closed the gap to two runs. The teams exchanged runs in the fourth inning and with a 6-4 lead heading into the fifth, the Vikings got busy.
Austin Adams jacks a three-run shot to tie the game in the fifth inning of game two
Berry put up five runs in the top of the fifth inning and moved to a confident 11-4 lead, but the Eagles were far from done. The fifth inning proved one of the biggest of the year so far for the Eagles. Faulkner held its ground and was able to gain four runs before Austin Adams pelted his second homer of the game knocking in three more. In one inning the Eagles had closed a seven run gap and the impressive display brought much needed rejuvenation to the home team. Berry, however, remained undaunted and hammered in nine runs of their own in the top of the sixth inning. They would hold the 20-11 lead through the seventh inning for the win.
The game featured a combined 32 hits and a whopping nine pitching changes. The Eagles tried six pitchers each giving parallel performances. Topher Blanchtte, Robeto Ferguson, Jordan Cowart, Matt Davis, Jeff Baldwin and James Lusk all made attempts to shut down the Viking attack with no luck. Berry placed the ball well both offensively and defensively and fought to take game three.
Faulkner still had impressive performances at the plate. Austin Adams had a massive game three. The junior was 2-for-5 with two home runs and four RBIs. Michael Dewitt was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs and Kevin Leslie was 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs. TJ Santos finished the game 1-for-4 with three RBIs.
The series win puts the Eagles at 18-13 on the year and 5-7 in the conference. The program will face North Alabama on Tuesday, March 18. The nine inning game is set for 3 p.m. in Florence, Alabama.