The Oglethorpe baseball team found themselves behind 5-0 in the early-going at Anderson Field against the visiting Piedmont Lions Tuesday night, but they never blinked. They immediately scored six consecutive runs to take the lead and eventually won the game on a ninth-inning walkoff double by sophomore third baseman Austin Ferlita, scoring senior designated hitter Patrick Kulick from first with two outs and giving the Stormy Petrels a 7-6 win at a rainy Anderson Field, improving them to 24-11 on the season.
The ninth-inning heroics came after Piedmont closer Allen Tokarz had set the first two Petrels down in short order. However, with two outs and nobody on, Kulick was able to bloop a soft single to center, keeping the inning alive for Ferlita. The Oglethorpe third baseman then blasted a 2-0 pitch over the head of Piedmont center fielder Keith Grabowski to the base of the fence in straightaway center field, 410 feet away from home plate. Kulick easily scored from first and the Petrels had their 7-6 victory.
Early in the game, it appeared as though it might not be Oglethorpe's night. Piedmont scored two runs in the second and three in the third to build a 5-0 advantage over the Petrels. However, the home side quickly came back in the third inning, as they scored four runs on the strength of two 2-run homers. They got a two-out walk from junior shortstop Spencer Transue preceding a two-run shot by Kulick, and then got a single from Ferlita ahead of a two-run bomb by junior second baseman Keith Dearden, taking advantage of another two-out, bases-empty rally. Then in the fourth, senior first baseman T.J. Schmutz walked with one out, followed by senior center fielder Vernon Trice reaching on a fielder's choice. Trice then stole second and scored on an RBI single by senior left fielder Andre Turnquest, tying the game up. Turnquest took second on the throw.
At that point, the game was delayed due to lightning in the area. The delay was then extended due to rain and, all-in-all, it lasted an hour and six minutes. After the delay, the Petrels picked up right where they left off, as Turnquest took third on a passed ball and, after a Transue walk, scored on a bunt single by Kulick, giving the Petrels a 6-5 lead.
With the rain picking up again, though, the two offenses hit a lull toward the later innings. Piedmont was able to tie the game in the seventh, but junior right-hander Joseph Marco got the Petrels out of any further damage in that inning, leading to the exciting finish.
Marco picked up his second consecutive win for his efforts, improving to 2-3 on the season. He pitched 2-2/3 innings without allowing a run or hit and stranded the two baserunners he inherited in the seventh. He allowed just two walks and struck out four Lions hitters. The Petrels also got scoreless outings from sophomore right-hander Sam Traxler and junior right-hander Kolin Zimmer. They combined to allow just three hits and a walk over four innings of work.
Ferlita, who got the big hit of the night, wound up going 3-for-5 with the RBI double and a run scored. Kulick had an excellent night at the plate, going 4-for-5 with a home run (his league-leading eighth of the season), three RBIs and two runs scored. Dearden was 2-for-4 with the two-run homer.
"That was quite a game, battling back from a 5-0 deficit and then waiting out a rain delay," said Head Coach Dan Giordano. "Our guys never lost focus and belief. Our bullpen gave us a chance, holding them to one run over seven innings. With our offense, we're never out of the game. We can score a bunch of runs in a hurry. We'll enjoy this one for the next 24 hours and get ready for a big weekend up at Berry."
The Petrels will be taking on the Vikings in the final three-game SAA series of the season in Mount Berry, Ga. The winner of the series will assure themselves of at least fourth place in the league headed into the conference tournament the following weekend. Friday is scheduled to feature a single game, beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday's doubleheader will then start at 3 p.m.