The Oglethorpe baseball team took a split from their doubleheader with Southern Athletic Association opponent Millsaps Saturday, with the second game featuring wild swings at the end. The Petrels fell 6-5 in Game 2 after scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 5-4 lead, but prevailed with four runs over a 2-inning stretch to secure the first game 9-1.
In the first game, the two teams were tied 1-1 for the majority of the contest, and that held into the bottom of the sixth. That's when the Petrels seized control of the game. They loaded the bases with nobody out in the inning, but were down to their last out after back-to-back strikeouts brought Millsaps to the verge of getting out of the jam. However, senior shortstop Spencer Transue responded with his first of several big hits on the day. He smashed the ball back up the middle off the shoe of Major pitcher Greg Matthews, and it bounced into no-man's land for an infield single. Millsaps made a pitching change after that, but the inning was extended when they made a 2-base error, allowing a pair of runs to score and giving the Petrels a 4-1 lead. Freshman first baseman Andrew Mink followed with another infield single, a lined smash to third base, and the Petrels had a 5-1 lead.
The next inning was more of the same as the Petrels again loaded the bases with nobody out in the inning. Freshman Scott Witt pinch hit and delivered a sacrifice fly to give the home team a 6-1 advantage. The Petrels scored on another error one batter later, then Transue came up again and golfed a 2-run homer to left to break the game wide open, giving the Petrels a 9-1 lead.
In the first inning, Millsaps took the lead on a 2-out hit, but the Petrels responded in the bottom half of the inning. With runners at first and second and with two outs, junior right fielder Brandon Fish came through with an RBI single to right-center to tie the game.
Sophomore right-hander Matt Davis pitched well in Game 1, picking up his second victory of the season. He went 7 innings and allowed just a single run, scattering 7 hits. He walked a pair and struck out a pair.
Transue went 2 for 4 with a home run, 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Fish finished 3 for 3 with a walk, an RBI and 2 runs scored of his own.
It took the Petrel bats a while to get going in Game 2. They fell behind 3-0 in the fourth, but scored a single run in the bottom half of the inning. However, they suffered bad luck even in doing so, as sophomore catcher Adrian Celata ripped a shot to the left-center gap that would've resulted in two runs easily scoring. The ball went under the gate in left-center, though, resulting in a ground-rule double that took a run away from the Petrels when Millsaps got out of the inning with no further damage. The Majors eventually retook a 3-run lead, holding a 4-1 advantage in the fifth.
The Petrels began to make their comeback at that point, though. They loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the fifth, and a bases-loaded walk from Mink brought the score to 4-2. However, a double play got the Majors out of that inning, leaving the Petrels down 4-2 headed to the sixth.
In that inning, the Petrels loaded the bases with one out on two walks and a hit batsman. Junior shortstop Gabriel Selochan followed by lining a sacrifice fly to right, drawing the Petrels to within a run. Then, with a pair of runners in scoring position and with two outs, Transue came through again, ripping a ball up the middle and bringing in both to suddenly give the Petrels a 5-4 lead headed to the final inning.
In the seventh, senior right-hander Joe Marco had the first batter reach on an error, but struck out the next two. A wild pitch brought the tying run into scoring position, though, and the Majors' Connor Woodall came through with a single to center to tie the game. Millsaps would go on to take the lead later in the inning after a steal and another RBI single, and Oglethorpe couldn't push a run across in the bottom half of the inning.
Marco dropped to 1-1 on the season, allowing two unearned runs on two hits in the inning. He walked one and struck out two. Junior third baseman Austin Ferlita went 2 for 4 in the second game.
"We earned the split, which gives us a chance to win the series tomorrow," said Oglethorpe head coach Dan Giordano. "We got some big hits in key spots in Game 1 and were able to break it open late. Matt Davis didn't have his best stuff today, but he battled through and only allowed one run, more than giving us a chance to win. I was proud of how we battled back in Game 2 after falling behind early. I'm disappointed we couldn't hold onto the lead, but we'll come back with a good effort tomorrow."
The Petrels will complete their 3-game set with the rubber game Sunday at noon from Anderson Field. After that, they'll embark on their spring break trip to central Florida, where they'll take on Coe, Rhode Island College, Thomas More and Central (Iowa) in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational in Winter Haven and Auburndale.