Publish Date

FAYETTEVILLE, NC — Fayetteville Tech baseball opened the season last week with a doubleheader sweep of Barton College’s developmental team.

The Trojans came from behind in both contests, taking the opener 10-5 and winning Game 2 with a walk-off double for a 6-5 victory at J.P. Riddle Stadium.

Sophomore Jaiden Barker tallied the game-winning hit, launching a 1-1 pitch to the gap in left-center field for a double. The hit scored pinch runner Cam Faucett, on to run for first baseman Johnnie Lowery, from first base.

“I was just looking for a pitch to drive,” Barker said. “I was looking for a pitch middle-in, and he gave it to me, so I took care of business with it.”

The Trojans and the Bulldogs were tied 2-2 going into the sixth inning. Barton turned a pair of walks and an error in the top of the sixth into a three-run inning, but Fayetteville Tech answered in the bottom half when Cameron Labit cleared the bases with a three-RBI triple to even the score at 5-5.

Right-hander Jack Cooney, on in relief for the Trojans, retired the side in order to open the seventh, leaving the door open for the Trojans to win in dramatic fashion.

The Trojans overcame a shaky start in Game 1, recovering from a four-run first inning for the Bulldogs. After scoring a run in the first, Fayetteville Tech tacked on runs in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings to pull away for a 10-5 win.

“Both of these were great team wins. We faced some adversity in the first game, being down by four and came back to win it 10-5. And then to be down 5-2 in the top of the sixth, come back and win it — that’s crazy that we were able to pull it together, tie it up and get the walk-off at the end.”