March 11, 2019

Oglethorpe falls 6-2 to Case Western Reserve for fourth straight loss

More news about: Oglethorpe

The Oglethorpe baseball team fell behind early for the third straight day Monday against the Case Western Reserve Spartans. They mounted a rally late but couldn't make it all the way back in a 6-2 defeat at Anderson Field, marking their fourth straight loss. With the defeat, the Stormy Petrels fell to 5-11 on the season.

Case Western Reserve jumped ahead with four runs in the first inning off Petrel left-hander Jackson Harrell. The Spartans managed a walk, a single and a three-run homer all with two out in the inning. They added another in the third to make it 5-0.

However, Harrell settled down and completed five innings. The Oglethorpe bullpen allowed just a single run over four innings, keeping the Petrels in the game.

They got a run back in the sixth when senior left fielder Jacob Gassert singled and sophomore catcher Alec Babb walked to lead off the frame. After a flyout advanced Gassert to third, junior center fielder Sam Buchanan drove in a run with a fielder's choice to get the Petrels on the board.

Oglethorpe entered the ninth inning down 6-1. Buchanan singled to left-center to lead off the frame and freshman third baseman Andrew Noack reached on an error. A double play left the Petrels with only one out remaining, but junior second baseman Austin Jackson singled up the middle to draw the Petrels closer at 6-2. Senior right fielder Patrick Burnette followed with a single and senior first baseman Andrew Mink reached on an error to bring the potential tying run to the plate in the form of Gassert. The Spartans brought in left-handed reliever Corey Brown, though, and he induced a game-ending groundout from Gassert.

Gassert finished the game 3-for-5 with a run scored while Buchanan went 3-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base. Harrell suffered the loss, allowing five runs on five hits over five innings.

The Petrels will next be in action Tuesday night. They'll welcome No. 19 Piedmont to Anderson Field with first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m. After that, they'll hit the road over the weekend for a three-game SAA set with Sewanee.