Faulkner triumphs over Thomas

The team celebrates after Cheryl Lavarnway's two-run homer in game one

Feb. 18, 2008

Thomasville, Ga. – After struggling out of the gate this season the Eagles were able to bring home a pair of wins over the weekend. Faulkner swept the Lady Night Hawks of Thomas University in a doubleheader on Saturday 10-2 and 5-2.

Senior Cheryl Lavarnway rounds the bases after her first career home run

     The Lady Night Hawks jumped out to a quick lead bringing in two runs in the first inning of game one. Both teams went scoreless in the second and though the Eagles came alive in the third, fierce pitching backed by alert fielding kept Thomas in the dark the remainder of the game. Emily Jimmerson had the mound for the Eagles in game one. The freshman from Eufaula, Alabama, gave up only two hits and a pair of runs, while striking out six batters in Faulkner’s giant win.

Emily Jimmerson hurls a pitch in game one

     Other highlights included Cheryl Lavarnway’s two-run blast in the fourth inning. The homer was senior’s first of her collegiate career. Lavarnway finished the game 2-for-2 with three RBIs. Faulkner put on an impressive display at the plate overall. The Eagles managed 16 hits in just five innings while scoring 10 runs. Brittany Hardmon went 3-for-3 and Eden Harris was 2-for-2. Erin Pierce finished 2-for-3 in game one, while Katie Godfrey went 2-for-4 with an RBI and Shauna Suttle and Courtney Barber were both 2-for-4 with two RBIs each. Jennifer Ellisor also snagged an RBI and was 1-for-2 at the plate.

Eden Harris gives the Eagles a hit in game one againt the Lady Night Hawks

Erin Pierce adds another run to Faulkner's total in game one

Shauna Suttle looks for some RBIs with this hit in game one

     Game two mirrored game one for three straight innings. Again, Thomas opened with a 2-0 lead in the first inning. A scoreless second followed and the Eagles were able get a run in the third. The Lady Night Hawks did a better job of keeping the Eagles from scoring in game two, but did little to silence their bats. Faulkner put up 11 hits and went on to score a pair of runs in the fourth and seventh innings.

Brittany Hardmon prepares to dart off of second base in game one

Courtney Barber snags a foul ball for the out in game one

     Eden Harris was 3-for-3 in game two with an RBI. Shauna Suttle and Jennifer Ellisor were both 2-for-4 and Ellisor added an RBI. Erin Pierce was 1-for-4 and had two RBIs. Cheryl Lavarnway pitched all seven innings for the Eagles and finished the game with a performance similar to that of Jimmerson in game one. The senior gave up only two runs and four hits, while putting away six at the plate. The Eagles held the Lady Night Hawks scoreless after the first inning in the second game as well.

Cheryl Lavarnway gets mean at the mound for the Eagles in game two

Head coach Hal Wynn and Shauna Suttle discuss a hitting strategy in game two

Jama Hanna gets an RBI single in game two against Thomas

      The Eagles moved to 2-4 overall and will host the Faulkner Invitational this weekend. The eight-team tournament will be held at the Softball Complex on Faulkner’s campus, but the event will share a second site with neighboring Alabama Christian Academy. The two day competition will begin Friday, Feb. 22 at 11 a.m. Faulkner’s first game will be against the University of Mobile at 1 p.m. Admission will be five dollars per day and all proceeds will be donated to help fund breast cancer awareness. Donations greater than five dollars will be gratefully accepted.

Eden Harris takes out the catcher for the score in game two

Erin Pierce takes a few moments to think about things after dodging the tag at second in game two