The Oglethorpe baseball team fell behind early Tuesday against St. Norbert in Auburndale, Fla., and couldn't recover, eventually falling 9-3 in their first completed game of the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational.

The Stormy Petrels trailed 4-0 in the second after starter Kyle Mitchell allowed four runs in the inning. The Petrels were able to halve the St. Norbert lead in the fifth, though. Shortstop T.J. Schmutz walked to lead off the inning and catcher Hunter Riley followed it up with a single. After a sacrifice bunt from left fielder Andre Turnquest, center fielder Vernon Trice stepped to the plate and delivered a two-run double to make the score 4-2.

However, St. Norbert scored at least a run in each of the remaining four innings to pull away. With the team down 7-2 in the bottom of the eighth, third baseman Austin Ferlita and second baseman Keith Dearden singled and first baseman Frank Sarno followed with a fielder's choice-RBI to draw the Petrels to within four, 7-3. St. Norbert scored twice in the ninth, however.

The Petrels wound up with 10 hits on the afternoon, but St. Norbert accrued 18 hits of their own. Trice, Sarno and designated hitter Patrick Kulick all went 2-for-4 over the course of the game. Trice and Kulick had doubles, Trice had two RBIs and Sarno had an RBI of his own.

Mitchell wound up suffering the loss, dropping him to 2-2 on the season. He allowed four runs on six hits over two innings. He walked a batter and struck out a batter.

The 9-9 Petrels will now get set to take on No. 16 Wisconsin-Whitewater at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in Auburndale as the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational continues.