The Oglethorpe baseball team used an outstanding offensive performance to overcome a sloppy defensive performance Wednesday evening at Anderson Field en route to an 8-6 victory over the visiting Covenant Scots. The Stormy Petrels pounded out 18 hits, allowing them to overcome 6 errors in the victory. With the win, they improved to 5-2 on the season.
The teams went back and forth in the early-going, with the Petrels scoring single runs in the first, second and third innings while the Scots tallied runs in the second, third and fourth. Run-scoring singles from junior catcher Adrian Celata, senior first baseman Austin Ferlita and junior designated hitter Dee Kelly put the Petrels up 3-2 after three innings. Covenant tied things up with their fourth-inning run and sent the game to the middle innings with a 3-3 scoreline.
The Petrels really came alive in the fifth, though. Their first three men reached base to start the inning, with senior right fielder Brandon Fish leading off with a single, junior second baseman Matt Motz following with another single, and junior third baseman Connor Crooke getting hit by a pitch to load the bases. Kelly came through next with an RBI single to give Oglethorpe the lead back, then freshman shortstop Sam Held came through with the big blow, a 2-run double down the left field line, which extended the Petrels' advantage to 6-3. Kelly scored on a wild pitch later in the inning to give the home side a 7-3 advantage that they would not relinquish.
Covenant made it interesting with 3 unearned runs in the seventh, but freshman lefty Preston Vegotsky stranded the potential tying run on second base, then got through the final two innings allowing just one baserunnner, earning his first career save. The Petrels added an additional run in the eighth to earn their 2-run victory.
Junior right-hander Matt Davis pitched three innings in relief and was very good, earning his second win of the season in the process. He allowed just 1 hit and 1 unearned run, striking out five Scots in the process.
Junior center fielder Jarvis Miller went 2-for-5 on the day with 2 doubles and 2 runs scored. Fish went 3-for-5 with a double and 2 runs scored, while Held went 3-for-4 with a double and 2 RBIs.
The Petrels will now get the weekend off before returning to Anderson Field with another matchup against an in-state opponent. They'll take on LaGrange for the second time this month Tuesday at 6 p.m. In the previous meeting, the Panthers defeated Oglethorpe 9-4 in the final game of the Firehouse Classic in Montgomery, Alabama.