The Oglethorpe baseball team swept a doubleheader from home-standing Trinity Baptist on Saturday afternoon, winning 10-7 in Game 1 and 3-2 in Game 2, taking two-out-of-three in the non-conference series. The victories improve the Stormy Petrels to 6-6 on the season.
The team came out looking to jump on the Eagles in the early-going after Friday night's loss and accomplished that, scoring three runs in the first inning of Game 1 and leading 6-0 after two-and-a-half innings. Trinity Baptist would storm back with five in the third, but the Petrels scored in every inning except the seventh en route to the three-run victory and put the contest away with two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth.
Sophomore Sam Traxler picked up the victory in relief for the team, his first of the season. He allowed just two hits and a single unearned run over an-inning-and-a-third of work while allowing no walks. He was followed by sophomore Justin Thigpen, who locked down his first save of the season by pitching the final three innings, allowing just one run on three hits.
Senior left fielder Andre Turnquest continued his excellent season at the plate, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs, a stolen base, and a run scored. Sophomore third baseman Austin Ferlita went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, a stolen base, and a run scored.
The Petrels jumped on the Eagles in the very first inning of the ball game. Junior shortstop Spencer Transue singled and senior designated hitter Patrick Kulick reached on catcher's interference, advancing Transue to second. The Petrels then proceeded to score a run on a Trinity Baptist error, then scored another on a delayed double steal with Kulick taking home on the play. Junior second baseman Keith Dearden followed with another single and freshman catcher Adrian Celata hit a sacrifice fly, driving in the third run of the inning for the visitors. They added another in the second when senior center fielder Vernon Trice walked and stole both second and third before being driven home by a Turnquest single for a 4-0 lead. Ferlita and Dearden singled to lead off the third and Dearden advanced to second on a double play. Senior right fielder Joey McAlpin walked, bringing up freshman first baseman Dee Kelly, who delivered an RBI double for a 5-0 Petrel lead. They added another when Trice singled home McAlpin on the next batter.
The Eagles came back with five runs in the bottom half of the inning to draw to within a run, but the Petrels answered in the fourth, pushing another run across to give themselves a 7-5 lead. Trinity Baptist scored another run in the bottom half of the inning, but the Petrels came back with two more in the fifth. McAlpin doubled to lead off the inning and, with two outs, Turnquest came through with a run-scoring hit to give the team their two-run lead back. The Petrels then loaded the bases for Ferlita, who drove in a run with a hit-by-pitch, giving the team a 9-6 advantage. They added another in the sixth, getting three men aboard without the benefit of a hit before Turnquest delivered with another RBI single, giving the team a 10-6 lead. The Eagles got one run back, but that was all they would get.
In Game 2, the Petrels got an excellent start from junior left-hander Kyle Mitchell, who earned his second victory of the season. He recorded a seven-inning complete game, allowing two runs on five hits and striking out five while walking just three. His team gave him a two-run lead to work with early, but Trinity Baptist tied the game in the fourth. The Petrels pushed across the game-winning run in the sixth, however, and Mitchell was able to close it down. No Petrel had more than one hit in the game as the team garnered five hits in all, but it was enough to secure the win.
The Petrels took a 1-0 lead in the first when Turnquest led off with a walk, stole second, advanced to third on a groundout, and scored on a wild pitch. They added another run in the second when they got three men aboard and Trice drove a man in with a fielder's choice, giving the Petrels a 2-0 edge. The Eagles scored two in the fourth to tie the game, but Oglethorpe pushed the game-winning run across in the sixth. Ferlita singled to lead off the inning and McAlpin walked after junior Alex Atteberry pinch-ran for Ferlita. Dearden flied out to deep right, allowing Atteberry to advance, and Celata followed with a fielder's choice that drove in the run. Mitchell was able to blank the Eagles after that, allowing just one to reach base over the final two frames.
"I'm proud of how we battled back today after a tough loss last night," said Head Coach Dan Giordano. "We brought great energy to the field and the dugout culture today was very positive. We are hoping this can get us rolling as we head into another tough week of games against tough teams in our region."
"Kyle Mitchell pounded the zone and just kept their guys off balance all day," Giordano continued. "We really needed a big performance from him today and he delivered big time."
The Petrels will next travel to Montgomery, Ala., on Tuesday, where they'll take on Huntingdon, a team receiving votes in the latest D3baseball.com poll, at 7 p.m. They'll then continue west to Jackson, Miss., to take on Millsaps in a three-game SAA series.