The Oglethorpe baseball team got off to a good start in both games of a doubleheader to kick off SAA play at No. 14 Birmingham-Southern Saturday afternoon, as they took 2-0 leads in both contests. However, the home-standing Panthers came back for the victory in both games, winning 12-2 in Game 1 and 3-2 in a tight Game 2.
In Game 1, the Stormy Petrels took a quick first-inning lead on a two-run homer by senior designated hitter Patrick Kulick, but the team wouldn't get much offense over the course of the game, as they had to face Second Team Preseason All-America pitcher Blake Stevens. They managed five hits, but two of them were in that first inning. Meanwhile, Birmingham-Southern scored 12 runs on seven hits and had an 8-2 lead after five innings.
Junior Sam Franklin suffered the loss on the afternoon, dropping to 0-2 on the young season. He pitched four innings and allowed seven runs on five hits. He walked just one BSC batter, but hit three with pitches. Kulick went 1-for-3 for the game with the home run, a walk, two RBIs and a run scored. Second baseman Keith Dearden provided the Petrels with their only other extra-base hit. He went 2-for-3 with a double.
Left fielder Andre Turnquest led off the first inning with a single through the left side and stole second, leading to the one-out homer by Kulick, his fourth of the season. After that, neither team recorded another hit until the bottom of the third, when the Panthers tallied three runs on two hits to take a 3-2 lead. They scored four more in the fourth and added an additional run in the fifth, giving more than enough insurance for Stevens. The Petrels would record a hit in the fifth on Dearden's leadoff double and two more to lead off the seventh inning after falling behind 9-2, but never could drive another run across.
In Game 2, the Petrels got an excellent start from sophomore Matt Davis and outhit the Panthers 6-3, but a three-run fourth inning gave the home side a 3-2 lead which they would never relinquish. The three Birmingham-Southern runs came after the Petrels took a two-run lead with a pair of tallies in the top half of the inning. The Panthers were able to hold down the Oglethorpe bats after that, hanging on for a 3-2 victory in the seven-inning contest.
Davis pitched very well, earning the complete game, but suffered his first loss of the season in the process. He allowed three runs on just three hits, walking four and striking out six. He falls to 2-1 on the season. Sophomore third baseman Austin Ferlita had a solid game at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double.
The Petrels recorded three hits over the game's first three innings, but were unable to get a run across until the fourth. They strung together three straight hits to start the inning, as junior shortstop Spencer Transue, Kulick and Ferlita delivered consecutive singles. Freshman catcher Adrian Celata followed with a sacrifice fly to give the Petrels the lead and Dearden drove in a second run with a fielder's choice, giving Oglethorpe a 2-0 edge. However, the Panthers loaded the bases with two out in the bottom half of the inning and got a wild pitch and a two-run single to snatch the lead, 3-2. The Petrels couldn't get much going offensively for the rest of the game and BSC held on for the one-run win.
"I thought we swung the bats well overall and squared some balls up on Stevens in Game 1," said Head Coach Dan Giordano. "He's one of the best pitchers in Division III, but we battled and had some chances. In Game 2, Matt Davis threw the best he's thrown all year so far, but we just couldn't get the third out in the fourth. His stuff was very good and I know he wishes he had a pitch or two from that inning back. I thought we played a solid game, but when you play top teams, you have to capitalize when you have chances and we just couldn't get the big hit. I like the way we are playing, though. We are so close to getting on a roll, we just have to keep playing hard and keep a positive attitude."
The Petrels fall to 4-4 on the season, 0-2 in SAA play. They'll complete the three-game series in Birmingham, Ala., on Sunday beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern. After that, they'll go back on the road next weekend for their spring break road swing through Jacksonville, Fla.; Montgomery, Ala.; and Jackson, Miss.