The Oglethorpe baseball team tied the Division III school record for most wins in a season Saturday with a 9-6 victory over Berry in Mount Berry, Ga., as part of a doubleheader split with the home-standing Vikings. The team is now 25-12 on the season, 11-8 in SAA play, and needs one more win to secure its winningest season since restarting the program as part of NCAA Division III in 1992.
The day featured a pair of wild games, with the two contests featuring big momentum swings and a combined seven innings with multiple runs scored. Oglethorpe got off to a 5-0 lead in Game 2, but Berry fought back to within a run at 5-4 and then again at 7-6. A big two-run seventh finally put the game out of reach. In Game 1, the two teams were scoreless for the first five innings and, though Berry took a 1-0 lead in the sixth, the Petrels stormed back with four runs in the eighth to take a three-run lead. Berry fought back to tie the game in the ninth, though, and won it in the 10th.
Oglethorpe's 11-8 record allows them to maintain fourth place in the league going into the final day of the SAA regular season. The Petrels and Vikings are locked into the fourth and fifth seeds and the winner of Sunday's rubber game will take the No. 4 seed and the last at-bat in the SAATournament game between the two teams next weekend in Birmingham, Ala.
After the heartbreaking finish to Game 1, the Petrels stormed out of the gate in the second game of the afternoon. They scored a run in the second when freshman catcher Adrian Celata hit a run-scoring double to left-center after sophomore third baseman Austin Ferlita and junior second baseman Keith Dearden had reached base on a single and a hit-by-pitch, respectively. Then in the third, Oglethorpe put a three-spot on the board. Senior left fielder Andre Turnquest doubled to lead off the inning and, with one out, the Petrels got three straight run-scoring hits in the form of a single by senior designated hitter Patrick Kulick and doubles from Ferlita and Dearden. The Petrels added an additional run in the fourth after senior center fielder Vernon Trice and Turnquestreached on singles and junior shortstop Spencer Transue followed with a single through the left side, scoring Trice for a 5-0 lead.
Berry fought back in the next two innings, though, scoring three in the fourth and one in the fifth to pull to within a run. Sophomore right-hander Justin Thigpen entered the game for junior starterKyle Mitchell and struck out the final two batters in the fifth to get out of the jam, allowing the Petrels to add on some insurance in the sixth. Senior first baseman T.J. Schmutz singled to lead off the inning and was sacrificed to second by Trice. Then with two outs, Transue doubled and Kulicksingled, driving in a a run each and giving the Petrels some breathing room at 7-4.
Berry came back again with two in the bottom half of the inning to cut their deficit to just one, but the Petrels put the game away in the seventh and final inning. With one out, Celata beat out an infield single and senior right fielder Joey McAlpin came through with a two-run homer to give the Petrels a 9-6 lead. Transue entered the game to pitch in the ninth and closed it out in order for his fourth save of the season.
Mitchell got the victory and improved to 5-2 on the year. He allowed three earned runs on seven hits over four innings, striking out three and walking two. Thigpen finished with two runs on three hits over two innings.
The Petrels got five doubles on the game, with one each from Turnquest, Transue, Ferlita, Deardenand Celata. Among those, all but Dearden went 2-for-4. McAlpin went just 1-for-4, but his two-run homer was the decisive blow in the game. Transue, Kulick and McAlpin each had two RBIs, andKulick went 2-for-4, as well.
In Game 1, neither team was able to scratch a run across over the first five innings of the game, each team getting excellent starting pitching. Berry finally scored a run in the sixth to take a 1-0 lead and things got worse for the Petrels as Celata was ejected for colliding with the Berry catcher in an attempt to score a run in the seventh.
However, the Petrels put together a big comeback in the eighth. Transue singled to lead off, then with one out, Ferlita walked and Dearden singled to load the bases. Freshman first baseman DeeKelly came through with an RBI single to right, tying the game and advancing everybody 90 feet. Then with two outs, junior catcher James Owen, Celata's replacement, came through in a big way with a two-run single to center, giving the Petrels the lead. Trice followed with another single to score Kelly and Oglethorpe had a 4-1 edge headed to the ninth.
However, starter Matt Davis tired and allowed a home run and a walk with one out in the inning. Junior right-hander Joseph Marco entered the game and, after hitting the first batter he saw, got a strikeout for the second out. But a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position and a single tied the game at 4-4.
The Petrels went down in order in the 10th and Berry loaded the bases with one out. Viking left fielder McTier Mosley singled home the winning run to give his team a walkoff victory.
Marco suffered the loss, dropping to 2-4 on the season. He went an inning, allowing two runs on three hits and walking two. He also allowed an inherited runner to score. Davis got no decision, but pitched well throughout the game. He went 8-1/3 innings and allowed three runs on just three hits, walking three and striking out five.
Turnquest went 3-for-5 for the game while Trice went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Owen was the only Petrel with multiple RBIs, as he earned both in his lone at-bat of the game.
"I'm proud of the guys for bouncing back after a tough loss in Game 1," said Head Coach DanGiordano. "We've shown the ability to bounce back all year. Our goal is to win each series and that's a goal that's still in front of us tomorrow."
The two teams will play the rubber match of this three-game series Sunday at 2 p.m. from William R. Bowdoin Field in Mount Berry, Ga., weather permitting. That will conclude the SAA regular season and the Petrels will then return home to take on Huntingdon in the final home game of the season Tuesday at 6 p.m. on Anderson Field. Next weekend, the team will travel to Birmingham, Ala., for the SAA Tournament, where they'll be in a four-team, double-elimination pod with Birmingham-Southern, Berry and Centre.