The Oglethorpe baseball team used a masterful start from senior right-hander Spencer Transue, an excellent relief appearance from senior right-hander Joe Marco, and a bizarre inning where junior right fielder Brandon Fish reached on an error and then scored on three consecutive balks to defeat the visiting Curry Colonels 1-0 Friday night at Anderson Field despite scratching out just a single hit against Curry starter David Griffin. The victory improved the Stormy Petrels to 2-0 on the young season.
Fish reached on a throwing error from Curry third baseman Tim Lathrop to lead off the bottom of the third. With Fish on first, Griffin did not fully come set before throwing a pitch, allowing the Oglethorpe right fielder to advance to second on a balk. Griffin committed the same infraction two more times before completing another pitch, allowing Fish to come all the way around to score and give the home side a 1-0 lead without the benefit of a hit.
It stood up thanks to the outstanding performance from Transue. The Petrel senior pitched seven innings of shutout baseball, allowing just two hits, a walk and a hit batsman while striking out eight Colonel hitters. After scattering both hits and all four baserunners in the first couple of innings, Transue set down the final 11 men he faced. He picked up the victory for his efforts.
After throwing 102 pitches, Transue gave way to Marco in the eighth, and Marco picked up where Transue left off. He allowed a leadoff single and saw the potential tying run reach scoring position with one out after a Curry sacrifice bunt, but Marco buckled down and got John Arens, the Curry leadoff hitter, to strike out. He hit Curry center fielder Kyle Connors with a 2-strike pitch one batter later, but came back to set down designated hitter Philip Perez to get out of the jam. He then mowed the Colonels down in order in the ninth, securing his first save of the season and the Oglethorpe victory.
The Petrels needed the good pitching performances, as they had difficulty with Griffin much of the night. The Curry starter finished with 10 strikeouts through 7 innings after allowing just a single hit and the unearned run. The Petrels led 1-0 without a hit for much of the game, but sophomore first baseman Adrian Celata broke up the unconventional no-hitter with two outs in the seventh.
"That was one of the most unique ways to win a game that I've ever seen, but we'll take it," said Oglethorpe head coach Dan Giordano. "Their starting pitcher was absolutely outstanding and we will learn and be a better offensive team because of tonight. I thought our pitching was equally up to the task. Transue battled all night and Marco has been doing what he did tonight for his entire career. Hopefully, we can build off of tonight and go out and win a series tomorrow."'
The Petrels will have the chance to do just that as they'll welcome Curry back to Anderson Field Saturday for a doubleheader. Game 1 will get underway at 2 p.m. with the second game coming approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first.