The Oglethorpe baseball team dropped to one game from elimination in the SAA Tournament Friday night after a furious comeback fell just short in an 11-10 loss to No. 2 seed Berry in Mount Berry, Ga.
Down 11-7 entering the ninth inning, the No. 7 seed Stormy Petrels mounted a huge rally. They pounded out six hits and scored three runs in the ninth inning to draw to within a single run. With one out, the Petrels loaded the bases and pinch-hitter Jake Purcell singled a run in, cutting the Vikings' lead to 11-8. Then, a bunt single from center fielder Vernon Trice kept the inning going and scored another run, making it 11-9. Left fielder Andre Turnquest followed with another RBI single, drawing the Petrels to within a run and keeping the bases loaded with one out, putting the potential tying run at third base. This brought slugging designated hitter Patrick Kulick to the plate. He flied out to left field and pinch-runner Alex Atteberry tried to score the tying run while Trice tried to advance to third on the play. The Berry left fielder threw Trice out at third base and the third baseman and was able to apply the tag for the third out of the inning before Atteberry had crossed the plate and tied the game, giving the Vikings the win.
Berry scored five runs in the fourth inning to take control of the game, but it had been a back-and-forth affair up until that point. The Petrels scored two to open the game when third baseman Austin Ferlita drove in a run with a single and the Petrels scored another on a Berry error. However, the Vikings answered back with three runs in the bottom half of the first. They also added an additional run in the third for a 4-2 lead.
The Petrels bounced right back, though, with three runs in the fourth. They loaded the bases with one out for Turnquest, who came through with an RBI single. Then, a fielder's choice from Kulick scored a run and tied the game. Ferlita followed with another RBI single to give Oglethorpe the 5-4 advantage.
However, Berry came back with the five-run fourth inning to take a 9-5 lead. The Petrels answered with two in the fifth on a bases-loaded walk by shortstop Spencer Transue and a run-scoring fielder's choice from Turnquest, cutting the deficit to 9-7. But Berry scored two more in the bottom half of the inning, setting up their 11-7 lead going into the ninth.
Joe Marco got his first start of the year and suffered the loss, allowing nine runs on 11 hits over 3-2/3 innings. He drops to 3-1 on the season. Sidearmed reliever Sam Traxler kept the Petrels in the game late, delivering four scoreless innings in which he allowed just three hits.
First baseman Frank Sarno had another excellent night at the plate, going 4-for-5 with three runs scored.
The two teams combined for 21 runs and 31 hits, as the Petrels outhit the Vikings, 16-15.
Oglethorpe drops to 17-24 on the season and will look to stave off elimination in the double-elimination tournament when they take on No. 6 seed Centre Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. from Mount Berry. The winner of that game will take on the loser of Saturday's earlier contest between Berry and Rhodes at 7 p.m.