The Oglethorpe baseball team split a doubleheader from No. 8 Rhodes Saturday afternoon at Anderson Field, winning the second game 7-5. That victory marked the Stormy Petrels' second win over a Top 10 team this season and improved the team to 10-9 on the season, 2-6 in SAA play.
In that second game, the Petrels jumped on the Rhodes starter for seven runs over the course of the second and third innings, including five runs in the third. From there, they withstood a Lynx comeback, holding on for the two-run victory. They outhit Rhodes 12-8 and committed just one error over the course of the seven-inning game.
Sophomore right-hander Matt Davis got the start and the victory for the home side, improving to 4-1 on the season. He did not have his best start of the season but was able to keep the Rhodes offense at bay after being staked to a seven-run lead in the third. Davis allowed four runs on six hits over six innings, striking out five and walking three. Meanwhile, junior right-hander SpencerTransue recorded this third save in the last two weeks and is beginning to take on more of a closer's role for the team. He allowed a run on two hits in the ninth, but got a big strikeout to change the momentum of the inning and secure the victory for the Petrels.
Offensively, senior designated hitter Patrick Kulick went 2-for-3 with a long home run and a sacrifice bunt while senior left fielder Andre Turnquest was 2-for-4 with a triple, a stolen base and three RBIs. A pair of freshmen, first baseman Dee Kelly and right fielder Britton Araujo, were perfect at the plate for the game. Kelly went 3-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored while Arraujowas 2-for-2 with a walk, a stolen base, an RBI and two runs scored.
The Petrels left two men on base in the first, but got on the scoreboard in the second. An infield single by Kelly was followed by a walk from Araujo. Then with two outs in the inning, Turnquest came through with a two-run triple to center.
The Petrels extended the advantage in the third with a huge five-run inning. Patrick Kulicklaunched a mammoth home run into the pine trees in right field to lead off the inning, then sophomore third baseman Austin Ferlita was hit by a pitch, junior second baseman Keith Deardenwalked and Kelly singled, loading the bases with only one out. Back-to-back RBI singles from Araujoand Trice followed and, after a Rhodes pitching change, Turnquest drove in another run with a fielder's choice. A delayed double steal then allowed Araujo to score and the Petrels had a 7-0 advantage.
Rhodes slowly whittled that lead down, scoring two runs in the fourth and one each in the fifth and sixth. Meanwhile, the Petrels had a couple of chances to get insurance runs and could not bring them across. That led to the seventh and final inning, where Rhodes got two of their first three batters on and cut the Oglethorpe lead to 7-5. However, Transue got a big strikeout for the second of the inning and then got the groundout to end it.
In Game 1, Rhodes jumped out to a 5-0 lead over the first five innings and their starter Daniel Morris got out of jam after jam. The Petrels left 10 men on base over the course of the game, nine of them over the first four innings. The Lynx outhit the Petrels 13-7 and committed two errors while Oglethorpe committed one.
Junior lefty Kyle Mitchell suffered the loss, falling to 2-1 on the season. He allowed three runs on three hits and three walks over three innings, striking out a couple. Junior right-hander JosephMarco pitched the final six innings of the game, allowing three runs on 10 hits and a walk and striking out six.
At the plate, Dearden went 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk and senior right fielder JoeyMcAlpin went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.
The Lynx scored five runs over the first five innings, but the Petrels got a run back in the sixth.McAlpin doubled into the right-center field gap and advanced to third on a Kelly groundout. He was subsequently brought home on a single by senior center fielder Vernon Trice. Dearden got another back with a solo homer to left in the seventh, but Rhodes had tallied another in the top half of the inning and the Petrels weren't able to get much going for the rest of the game.
"It was a great atmosphere today and it was nice to play at home in front of our fans," said Head Coach Dan Giordano. "Our fans have been great all year and we're looking forward to a stretch of home games here. In Game 1, we had chances to score runs and just couldn't come up with the big hit. I'm proud of the guys bouncing back and jumping on one of the best pitchers in the SAA in Game 2. Overall, I thought we played two solid games. We have a chance to win a series against a Top 10 team tomorrow, so we are ready for that opportunity."
Today marked the first home games for the Petrels this month after a 12-game road swing on which they went 6-6. They'll complete the three-game series against the No. 8 Lynx Sunday at noon, weather permitting. They'll then take on DePauw in a midweek home game before welcoming Hendrix to Anderson Field for another SAA series next weekend.