The Oglethorpe baseball team got its season off to a fine start Friday afternoon at Anderson Fieldas they defeated New York University, 9-3, at Anderson Field to open up the 2015 season.
It was a pitcher's duel early on in the game, with neither team scoring through the game's first three innings. Oglethorpe sophomore starting pitcher Matt Davis had an impressive debut for the Stormy Petrels, but NYU starter Chase Denison matched him out-for-out through the first three. The Petrels broke through with five runs in the fourth and three in the fifth, however, getting some solid hitting and four NYU errors in the process. The 8-0 advantage proved to be more than enough for the Oglethorpe pitching staff, and the team cruised to the victory from there.
Davis picked up the first win of his Oglethorpe career, throwing an impressive six innings of shutout ball. He allowed just two hits over the course of his 84 pitches and walked just two while striking out six. Senior outfielder Andre Turnquest had an excellent game to start his season, going 3-for-5 with a double and two stolen bases. Sophomore second baseman Matt Motz went 2-for-4 in his Oglethorpe debut while senior right fielder Joey McAlpin drove in a pair of runs and tripled on the afternoon. Junior first baseman Keith Dearden and freshman cather Adrian Celata each scored twice while Celata walked in his first three plate appearances.
In the fourth, sophomore third baseman Austin Ferlita, Dearden and Celata drew consecutive walks to lead off the inning. Two NYU passed balls and an RBI groundout by McAlpin resulted in a 3-0 Oglethorpe lead over the next three batters. An RBI infield single from senior designated hitter Patrick Kulick and a run-scoring wild pitch capped off the five-run fourth. In the fifth, the Petrels scored on another wild pitch to take a 6-0 lead, then Celata walked and McAlpin drove him in with an RBI triple. Two batters later, Motz singled McAlpin home to give the Petrels an 8-0 lead. NYU answered with two runs of their own in the seventh, but the Petrels came back with a run in the bottom half of the inning off of an RBI groundout from junior shortstop Spencer Transue after substitute right fielder Britton Araujo doubled to lead off the inning.
"The only thing better than Opening Day is winning on Opening Day," said Head Coach Dan Giordano. "We didn't play our best game but we played hard and made pitches when we had to. I think we came out a little too fired up and it showed in our offensive approach. We'll settle in and and be better tomorrow. Overall, it was a good first day and something to build on." He continued, "Matt Davis was really good in his first college start and we expect him to keep getting better."
The contest marked the first intercollegiate baseball game for New York University since 1974. The NYU athletics program is restarting the varsity program after a 40-year hiatus.
The three-game series will conclude Saturday with a doubleheader at Anderson Field beginning at 2 p.m. The Petrels will then take a midweek trip to LaGrange, Ga., on Tuesday to take on LaGrange before returning to Anderson Field next weekend to go against Curry.