ATLANTA, GA. – Oglethorpe's Jack Bartlewski hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to break a 5-5 tie and the Stormy Petrels held on to defeat Cortland, 7-6, in non-league action.
Cortland suffered its third straight one-run loss and is now 7-8-1 on the season. Oglethorpe improved to 8-13 with the victory.
Oglethorpe took a 4-0 lead in the first on Jacob Gassert RBI single and a Sebastian Lopez three-run homer, and it stretched the lead to 5-0 in the fifth on an Andrew Mink RBI single.
Cortland tied the game with five runs in the top of the sixth. The rally started when Cortland's first three batters – Scott Giordano (Croton-on-Hudson/Croton-Harmon), pinch hitter Paul Franzese (Somers) and Brian Corporan (Bronx/H.S. for Environmental Studies) – were each hit by a pitch. Sam Kippen (Lyncourt/Solvay) singled home a run, and two batters later Mat Bruno (Rye) hit a two-run single to center. The tying runs scored on a pair of two-out wild pitches.
The hosts regained the lead in the seventh when Mink led off with a single and Bartlewski hit a two-run homer to right. Cortland got a run back in the eighth after a one-out error, walks by Colin BeVard (Syracuse/West Genesee) and Marcos Perivolaris (Mattituck), and a two-out bases-loaded walk by Steven Salisbury (Cranston, RI/Moses Brown), but a groundout ended the threat. Bartlewski moved from first base to pitcher in the ninth and retired the side in order for his third save of the season.
Cortland used seven pitchers in the game. The strongest outings came from Liam Krasney (Greenville), who entered in the second and allowed one hit and one run over three innings with a strikeout and three walks, Noah Ernst (Catskill/Homeschooled), who gave up a hit and a walk and fanned two in an inning and a third of scoreless ball, and Dan Hobbs (Saratoga Springs) and Nick Morena (Holbrook/Sachem North), who tossed an inning apiece and gave up one hit and no runs. Morena struck out two and Hobbs fanned one. John Reda (Mahopac) took the loss after allowing the two runs in the seventh.
Offensively for Cortland, Kippen went 2-for-5 with an RBI and Salisbury, who was 1-for-1 with a walk and an RBI after entering in the bottom of the sixth.
Oglethorpe also used seven pitchers in the contest. Jonathan Haab opened with two scoreless innings. Dylan Childress, the Stormy Petrels' fifth reliever, earned the win after giving up one unearned run in two and a third innings. He was the pitcher of the record when Oglethorpe took the lead in the seventh.
Mink finished 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs, Bartlewski was 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run, Patrick Burnette ended 2-for-5 and and Lopez went 1-for-4 with his three-run homer.
Cortland is idle Thursday and will open SUNYAC play this weekend with a three-game series against Plattsburgh at Piedmont College in Demorest, Ga. The teams will play a doubleheader Friday at noon and a single game Saturday, also at noon.