For three innings the underdog O'Neal baseball team hung with Fayetteville Academy.

But the Eagles' offense erupted for 12 runs in the final two innings en route to a 15-3 win.

Mustafa Hamad had three hits and four RBIs and Josh Elmore hit a grand slam to lead the Eagles (7-3-1, 4-0).

"I don't think the score is indicative of the way we play," O'Neal head coach Matt Peal said. "For four innings we held our own with a top 10 team in the state."

Offensively the Falcons managed one hit -- a solo homer in the first inning by Devin Roberts. The Falcons scratched out two more runs in the bottom of the third to tie the score 3-all, thanks to a two-out walk, a stolen base, a wild pitch and three errors.

Despite allowing three runs, Elmore earned the win. He walked two, struck out 10, and allowed only one ball to leave the infield.

Jordan Hunt held the Eagle offense in check through three innings before tiring in the fourth.

Hunt allowed seven hits in the first two innings, but worked out of two jams, thanks to his defense.

"Jordan Hunt did exactly what we asked him to do," Peal said. "He threw strikes, and defensively we played our best game of the year."

In the top of the fourth, Hunt allowed two, one-out singles and a walk to load the bases.

He struck out Hamad for the second out, but hung a breaking ball on the first pitch to Elmore, who blasted the ball over the fence in deep center.

"We got some balls up and they made us pay for it," Peal said.

The Eagles sealed the game in the fifth, sending 12 batters to the plate and scoring eight runs on five hits.

Despite the loss, Peal said he was proud of his team's effort and their improvement.

"The scoreboard means nothing, because we improved in a lot of areas today," he said.

"We are still going to work on the fundamentals and do things from the ground up. But this was a positive step."

The Falcons (0-3, 0-2) will play on the road at St. David's and Westchester next week.