The Oglethorpe baseball team took a 3-2 lead over the Sewanee Tigers into the bottom of the eighth inning Friday evening in Sewanee, Tennessee, but the home team was able to score a run in each of the final two frames and turn things around for a 4-3 victory. The loss dropped the Stormy Petrels to 9-11 on the season overall and 1-6 in SAA play.
The Petrels got an outstanding start from sophomore Kyle Babb, as he delivered 7 2/3 innings of 5-hit baseball, allowing just 2 earned runs on 3 walks and 4 strikeouts. It proved to not be enough, though, as the Tigers came back in the late innings.
Sewanee put up a run in the second inning to take an early lead, but the Petrels bounced back with a run of their own in the fourth inning. Senior right fielder Brandon Fish reached base with a 1-out walk while sophomore first baseman Andrew Mink followed with a 2-out single to put runners on first and second. Junior second baseman Matt Motz came through one batter later with a double, driving in Fish and tying the game.
Oglethorpe took their first lead of the game an inning later, though, as freshman shortstop Sam Held led off the frame with a single and that scored on a Sewanee error, making it 2-1. The Tigers bounced back with a game-tying run in the seventh, but the Petrels took their lead back in the top of the eighth. With one out, junior catcher Adrian Celata doubled and stole third, and Mink followed with an RBI single to give Oglethorpe a 3-2 advantage. The Petrels had a runner thrown out at the plate to end the inning, though, which turned out to be a big swing in the ballgame.
Sewanee scored a game-tying run in the eighth inning, then won the game in the bottom of the ninth with a bases-loaded walk.
Mink led the Petrels with a 3-for-4 evening, adding a double, a stolen base and an RBI. Motz went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Senior right-hander Justin Thigpen suffered the loss, falling to 0-2 after allowing a run on a hit over two-thirds of an inning, walking two and hitting a batter.
"We had some chances to tack on some runs early, but couldn't get the big hit," said Oglethorpe head coach Dan Giordano. "Kyle Babb was outstanding, and battled for us. We'll come back tomorrow ready to win a series."
The Petrels are scheduled to take on Sewanee in a doubleheader Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern. Weather in southeastern Tennessee could play a factor, though, as storms are forecast for the area Saturday afternoon. If the two teams are unable to get both games in, they'll return to Sewanee Sunday at a time to-be-determined time to finish the series.