March 6, 2019

Stormy Petrels knock off crosstown rival Emory on chilly night at Anderson Field

More news about: Oglethorpe

The Oglethorpe baseball team played well at a frigid Anderson Field Wednesday evening, knocking off their crosstown rivals, the Emory Eagles, 6-3 on a night where the temperatures fell into the 30s during the game. The Stormy Petrels used a four-run fifth to push an early 1-1 game in their favor and improved to 5-7 on the young season.

With the game tied 1-1 going to the bottom of the fifth, the Petrels responded with four runs in their half of the frame. They loaded the bases with a walk from junior second baseman Austin Jackson, and singles from senior right fielder Patrick Burnette and senior first baseman Andrew Mink. Junior designated hitter Jack Bartlewski struck out, but sophomore catcher Alec Babb followed with a two-run single up the middle to give the Petrels the lead back after they led 1-0 early. After another Oglethorpe strikeout and a walk by senior third baseman Dylan Leonard to load the bases again, freshman left fielder Sebastian Lopez came through with another two-run single to center to open up a 5-1 Petrel lead.

Emory rallied with two in the sixth to cut the Oglethorpe lead in half and make it 5-3. However, sophomore right-hander Justin Kacena got out of the inning with a two-run lead and wound up preserving his first victory of the season. 

The Petrels added an insurance run in the seventh when they got a looping two-out double down the left-field line from Leonard that dropped in between three Eagle fielders. That hit scored Babb from third and extended the Oglethorpe lead to 6-3. 

Meanwhile, junior right-hander Dylan Childress was mowing down Emory hitters over the course of the seventh and eighth innings. He struck out five of the six batters he faced. Bartlewski entered in the ninth and garnered his first save of the season.

The Petrels took a one-run lead in the first on a two-out, run-scoring single from Babb which plated Jackson. Emory tied the game in the top of the fifth, but the Petrels answered back in a big way in the bottom half.

Babb went 2-for-4 on the night with three RBIs and two runs scored. Mink went 2-for-4, as well, with a run scored, while Lopez when 1-for-2 with a walk and two RBIs. 

The Petrels will next be in action on Friday night when they face a highly-touted Adrian team out of Michigan. It'll be a two-game series, with the teams playing at 5 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday from Anderson Field.