The Oglethorpe baseball team scored eight runs over the middle innings of Wednesday night's non-conference game against former SCAC foe DePauw, turning a close game into a relatively comfortable 10-4 victory. The win improves the Stormy Petrels to 11-9 on the season.
The home side scored four runs in the third inning, turning a 2-0 deficit into a 4-2 lead. The Tigers came back to tie the score in the next half-inning, but the Petrels would keep scoring while DePauw was unable to get anything else against the Oglethorpe pitching staff. The Petrels outhit their counterparts 11-6 while committing one fewer error.
Senior left fielder Andre Turnquest connected for the first home run of his career as part of a 1-for-4 night in which he scored four times, drove in two runs, walked once and stole two bases for the Petrels. His two swiped bases give him 22 on the season, putting him in second place in the SAA. His two-run homer tied the game in the third. Junior shortstop Spencer Transue had an excellent day at the plate for his own part, going 4-for-5 with three RBIs, two runs scored and a stolen base. Senior designated hitter Patrick Kulick went 1-for-4 with his sixth home run of the year, extending his SAA lead in that category. He also walked once and drove in three runs.
Sophomore right-hander Justin Thigpen got another win in relief, improving his record to 3-1 on the season. He allowed just two hits over 2-1/3 innings of shutout baseball, walking one and striking out one. The Petrels also got another excellent performance from junior right-hander Joseph Marco, who got out of a Thigpen jam in the seventh without allowing a run, then got through a clean eighth.
DePauw jumped out to a 2-0 lead with a a sacrifice fly in each of the first two frames. The Petrels busted out with four runs in the third inning, though. Senior right fielder Joey McAlpin walked to lead off the inning, then advanced to second on a wild pitch. With two outs in the inning,Turnquest followed with his first career home run, tying the game up. Transue continued the rally with a single to center and Kulick hit the inning's second two-run homer, giving the Petrels a 4-2 lead.
The Tigers got two of the runs back in the fourth inning, tying the score again, but the Petrels would slowly start to pull away from the visitors. Turnquest walked to lead off the fifth and Transue followed with a single. After an Oglethorpe strikeout, the Petrels enacted a double steal that resulted in Turnquest being able to score on a DePauw error. Sophomore third baseman Austin Ferlita moved Transue to third with a single and junior second baseman Keith Dearden followed with an RBI groundout, giving the Petrels a 6-4 lead. They would score twice more in the sixth, as freshman first baseman Dee Kelly singled with one out and senior center fielder Vernon Trice singled, as well. After a Turnquest fielder's choice gave the team two outs in the inning, he stole second, allowing Transue to drive in two runs with a single through the left side of the infield and giving the team an 8-4 lead. The Petrels later tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the eighth, as well. Trice walked and Turnquest reached on an error, bringing up Transue again. He came through with another RBI single, then Kulick scored Turnquest on an RBI groundout.
"It was a good midweek win," said Head Coach Dan Giordano. "I thought we came out a little flat, but the bats picked us up early with Turnquest and Kulick having the big blows. Transue has been swinging it well and tonight he was able to find some holes and came up big in important situations. We have a big weekend ahead of us against Hendrix. It should be a good series, with both teams playing solid baseball right now."
The Petrels will take on the Warriors in a three-game SAA series over the course of Saturday and Sunday. The two teams will play a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 2 p.m. at Anderson Field. The final game of the set will be Sunday at noon. After that, the Petrels go back on the road for a game at Piedmont and a three-game series at Sewanee.