LEWISTON, Idaho – (Box Score) Less than 24 hours after the team’s first shutout loss of the season, the Faulkner (Ala.) offense exploded to the tune of 14 hits as the top-seeded Eagles downed No. 7 Sterling (Kan.), 13-6, Tuesday afternoon in elimination round play at the 2016 Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series. The 60th annual event is being played out at Harris Field for the 17th-straight season and 25th time overall.

The win puts the Eagles (51-14) into the round of four for the second-straight season and third time in the last four years. Faulkner’s next opponent will be determined by the tournament committee at the conclusion of tonight’s late contest between No. 4 Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) and No. 2 Tennessee Wesleyan. The Warriors and Bulldogs are the only remaining unbeaten teams in the World Series field.

Faulkner, which entered the World Series hitting .328 as a team, struggled offensively through its first two games, hitting only .242 with five starters owning an event batting average under .200. However, the bats came alive tonight.

All nine Faulkner hitters tallied at least one hit, as the club eclipsed the 10-hit mark for the ninth time in its last 13 games and 33rd time this season. T.J. Condon led the offensive onslaught with a 3-for-4 effort at the dish, including three runs scored and three RBI.

Nick Cain also had a tremendous performance for Faulkner. The senior outfielder had two hits and a game-high four RBI.

Fireworks flew in the first inning from both teams, as the two clubs were deadlocked 2-2 at the end of the first stanza. Condon opened the scoring with an opposite-field, two-run home run that bounced off the scoreboard in right field. The dinger, which came with two outs, was the first for Faulkner at the World Series and only Condon’s second hit.

Sterling evened the score in the bottom of the first when Andrew Dorado shot a bases clearing double just beyond the outstretched glove of the diving Faulkner right fielder. Kendall Radcliffe and Beau Kallas scored on the play.

The Eagles added another run in the second, before a five-run third made it 8-2 Faulkner. Nick Cain’s two-run home run – his 18th homer of the season – highlighted the rally.

Sterling cut the deficit to 8-4 in the bottom of the third on a wild pitch and a RBI double from Jordan Espino. The Warriors had opportunity to tack on additional runs in the frame, but poor base running ended the potential rally short.

Additional Faulkner crooked numbers in the fifth and sixth to push the Eagles’ advantage to 13-4. Back-to-back walks, followed by a single from Cain and ground ball by Onix Martinez plated the fifth inning’s two runs. Singles by David Palenzuela, Condon and Deivy Palmeiro keyed the three runs in the sixth.

Sterling scraped back a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth to make it a 13-6 ballgame, however it proved to be as close as they’d come.

Faulkner relief pitcher Kurt Lipscomb (3-2) claimed the victory. The senior pitched 3.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits.

Despite the loss, Sterling had three individuals’ record multi-hit games – Aaron Stubblefield (2-for-5), Jordan Espino (2-for-3) and Nicholas Domitrovich (2-for-3).

Another impressive performance can would potentially fly under the radar in a high scoring game was the effort by Sterling’s Ryan Pope. The clubs closer, Pope pitched 3.2 innings of hitless and scoreless relief. The Eagles scored at least one run in five-of-six innings prior to the Yuba City, Calif., native taking the mound.

The loss ends Sterling’s season at 52-16. The Warriors win total is a program record.

Stretch Internet, the NAIA’s official video streaming company, is broadcasting the first 15 games of the 2016 Avista-NAIA World Series. An All-World Series package can be purchased for $29.95, while a day pass is available for $9.95. For more information, visit www.NAIANetwork.com.

The Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series is a 10-team, double-elimination event hosted by Lewis-Clark State (Idaho). For more information on the 60th annual event, click HERE.