DAYTON, Tenn. — The Bryan Lions dropped a hard-fought offensive battle to the Faulkner Eagles Tuesday afternoon at Senter Field, falling 15-9 in a game that featured six combined home runs and 26 total hits. Despite the loss, the Lions showed plenty of fight, erasing a 5-0 deficit in the third inning before the Eagles ultimately pulled away. Bryan entered the day sitting at 17-18 overall and 10-7 in conference play.
Faulkner wasted no time doing damage, plating five runs in the top of the second inning on three hits, a passed ball, and a catcher's interference call. Edrien Martínez capped the frame with a two-run double to make it 5-0.
Bryan answered in a big way in the bottom of the third. With the bases loaded,
Denajh Williams launched a grand slam to score
Will Curcio,
Cyrus Campos, and
Caleb McCarty, pulling the Lions within one at 5-4. The momentum was short-lived, however, as Faulkner's Alex Gonzalez hit a three-run home run in the fifth to push the lead back out to 8-4.
The Lions got one back in the sixth on a solo shot from
Cade Cook, his first of the day, but Faulkner responded with a five-run seventh inning that effectively put the game out of reach. Edrien Martínez did much of the damage with a three-run home run to make it 14-5 before Bryan rallied with three of their own in the bottom half, capped by Cook's second home run of the game — a three-run blast — to cut the deficit to 14-8. Marlon Oviedo added a solo shot in the eighth for Faulkner, and Cook added one final RBI on a sacrifice fly to set the final at 15-9.
Cook was the clear offensive standout for Bryan, finishing 3-for-4 with two home runs, five RBI, and two runs scored. Williams added a grand slam and four RBI, while
Brodie Genter went a quiet 3-for-5 to lead the team in hits. As a team, the Lions collected 14 hits — one more than Faulkner — but were undermined by a pitching staff that surrendered 15 earned runs and eight walks.
Ty Nettles opened with a scoreless first inning before giving way to
Hunter Morton, who was charged with the loss after allowing five runs in just two-thirds of an inning.
Logan Sullivan provided a needed bridge with 2.1 scoreless frames, but the bullpen struggled to hold down a potent Faulkner lineup late.
Ben Zyburt closed things out cleanly with a scoreless ninth.
Bryan will look to regroup and carry the offensive production forward as the Lions push through the remainder of their schedule. They will host the Bears of Truett McConnell for a weekend series.
