The LBWCC Saints split games with the Faulkner State Sun Chiefs in a doubleheader Friday afternoon at Crum Foshee Field in Andalusia. The Sun Chiefs took game one 7-2, and the Saints came out with 4-2 victory in game two.

 

In the top of the second inning, the Sun Chiefs led off with a double and walk. Two batters later, a one-out double drove in two runs to put the Saints in an early 2-0 hole.

 

The Saints had a pair of base hits in the bottom of the second from Trey Matherson and Josh Flowers, but were unable to bring them around to score.

 

Jordan Tharpe bounced back from giving up two-runs in the second by retiring the next six batters in a row.

 

Tharpe’s streak of consecutive outs was broken when he plunked the first batter in the top of the fifth. An RBI single two batters later gave the Sun Chiefs a 3-0 lead.

 

Flowers reached with his second hit of the game in the bottom of the fifth, but the Saints were still unable to push across a run.

 

In the top of the sixth, the Saints cracked the scoreboard Brandon Cobb drove in Michael Tedford with a sacrifice fly that cut the lead down to 3-1.

 

The Saints threatened in the bottom of the seventh when Brandon Smith laced a line drive over the shortstops head for a base hit to start the inning.  Three batters later, Tedford loaded the bases with bunt single.

 

Darius Baldwin came within inches of tying the game up when he ripped a bases-loaded line drive that was barely snagged by the shortstop.

 

The Sun Chiefs put the game out of reach with a four-run top of the ninth.

 

Houston Davenport drilled a double in the right center gap with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, and moved to third on a past ball. The Saints just couldn’t get the run across.

 

“We didn’t compete in the box,” Saints’ head coach Steve Helms said. “But we will turn right back around, and try them again. It’s just one game though, it’s a long season. We had chances to win.”

 

In game two, the Saints took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third, and went up 4-0 with a run in the bottom of the fifth.

 

The Sun Chiefs added a pair of runs in the top of the sixth, and the Saints held them off the scoreboard in the top of the seventh for a 4-2 victory.

 

Matherson led the Saints at the plate by going 2-for-3 with three RBIs.

 

Jed Carter picked up the win for the Saints with five and two-thirds innings pitched. Carter gave up three hits, two earned runs, one walk and struck out two batters in game two.