The Oglethorpe baseball team split a doubleheader with visiting New York University on Saturday afternoon at Anderson Field, taking the first game in blowout fashion, 18-3, before falling 2-0 in Game 2. The two results ensure that the Stormy Petrels take two-of-three from the visiting Violets to begin the season.
The Petrels outscored NYU 27-8 over the course of the three-game series and much of that work was done in Game 1 on Saturday. They scored six runs in the second and two in the third to take an 8-0 lead for the second straight day. The Violets scored three in the top half of the fourth to cut the lead to 8-3, but Oglethorpe sophomore starting pitcher Dan McBryan got out of the jam and the Petrels answered with seven more runs in the bottom half of the inning, completely breaking the game open.
Game 2 was a pitcher's duel, with NYU eking a couple of runs across off junior Oglethorpe starter Sam Franklin to take a 2-0 lead. The Petrels rallied in both the sixth and seventh innings but were unable to get a run across and the visiting Violets secured the victory, their newly relaunched program's first since 1974.
McBryan pitched very well for large stretches of the ballgame and secured the victory in Game 1 with four innings of five-hit ball. He allowed three runs, walked three, and struck out six. Freshman catcher Adrian Celata and sophomore second baseman Matt Motz both went 2-for-3 over the course of Game 1. Celata scored three times and drove in a run while Motz tripled and drove in three. Senior right fielder Joey McAlpin also went 2-for-3 over the course of Game 1 with a sac bunt and two runs scored. Senior designated hitter Patrick Kulick had the big blow of Game 1, bombing a mammoth three-run homer high over the right-field fence to cap the Petrels' six-run second inning.
After a quiet first inning, the Petrels exploded in the second. They got the first two men aboard and then a McAlpin sacrifice bunt turned into a run when the Violets committed an error on the play. An RBI groundout from junior shortstop Spencer Transue made the score 2-0 and then Motz singled up the middle to drive in McAlpin, giving the Petrels a three-run lead. A Vernon Trice walk put runners on first and second for Kulick, who proceeded to give the Petrels a 6-0 lead with his home run. The Petrels used a two-run triple from Motz to score two more in the third, then went into the fourth looking to answer NYU's three-run output in the top half of the inning. The Petrels got RBI hits from junior first baseman Keith Dearden, senior left fielder Andre Turnquest, sophomore third basman Austin Ferlita, Celata and Transue in the inning to break the game open into a 15-3 romp. The Petrels scored three more over the next two innings and cruised to their second victory of the season.
The Petrels ran into Violet starter Michael Vokulich in Game 2, though, and despite recording seven hits to NYU's three, they could never break through with a run-scoring one. Franklin pitched very well, allowing one earned run and just three hits over 5.2 innings while walking no one and striking out four, but was saddled with the loss. Turnquest had the best game at the plate for Oglethorpe in Game 2, going 3-for-4 with a stolen base.
The Petrels gave up single runs in the third and sixth innings, then proceeded to rally in both the sixth and seventh. They got men on first and second with nobody out in the sixth before three straight Petrels were retired to end the threat. Then they had the bases loaded in the seventh but never could scratch a run across.
"We got really good starting pitching in both games," said Head Coach Dan Giordano. "Both starters were very effective and Joe Marco and Justin Thigpen were dominant coming in after them out of the bullpen. I thought we put together some really good at-bats offensively and squared the ball up consistently. In Game 2, we hit a lot of balls hard right at guys and they made some nice plays on defense to stop potential rallies. Overall, we won the series and that is always the goal. I know this group is not satisfied with that, though. It was a good weekend to build upon. We've got lots to work on and get better."
The Petrels will travel to LaGrange, Ga., on Tuesday for their first road game of the season. They'll take on LaGrange at 7 p.m. After that, they'll return to Anderson Field to face off against Curry in a three-game series next weekend.