The Oglethorpe baseball team jumped out to a big lead Friday morning on Thomas More at the Chain O'Lakes Complex in Winter Haven, Florida, but the Saints came back with five runs in the sixth inning to turn the tables and defeat the Stormy Petrels 10-7. The loss dropped the Petrels to 9-6 on the season, and moved them to 2-2 during their stay at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational with one game remaining.
Down 7-5 going into the bottom of the sixth, Thomas More loaded the bases with nobody out, then took the lead with a sacrifice fly and a 2-run single off of Oglethorpe senior right-hander Joe Marco. After junior right-hander Sam Traxler relieved Marco, the Saints continued their rally, scoring a couple more on a pair of RBI singles, building their 10-7 lead. The Petrels would not get a man past first base for the remainder of the game, and eventually fell by the same scoreline.
Marco wound up suffering the loss, dropping to 1-3 on the season. He allowed four runs on three hits over two innings of work, walking three and striking out two. Senior left-hander Kyle Mitchell got the start for the Petrels and allowed four earned runs on nine hits over 3 1/3 innings, striking out two and walking one.
After Thomas More came back from a 5-0 deficit to tie the game in the fourth, the Petrels responded with a pair of runs in the fifth to retake their lead. With one out in the inning, freshman left fielder Scott Witt reached base with an infield single and fellow freshman catcher Andrew Mink followed with a single of his own. Two batters later, sophomore first baseman Dee Kelly came through with a 2-run single to give the Petrels the lead back, 7-5.
The Saints scored four runs in the third on three doubles and a single to pull to within a run, 5-4, then tied the game in the fourth after a leadoff double and a run-scoring single.
The game started very well for the Petrels. Sophomore center fielder Jarvis Miller led the game off with a single and took second on an error. Sophomore designated hitter Adrian Celata followed with a single to center field to give Oglethorpe a 1-0 lead in the first.
In the second inning, the Petrels loaded the bases with nobody out. Following a strikeout, Miller was hit by a pitch, scoring a run, and junior third baseman Austin Ferlita drove in a couple with a single, giving the Petrels a 4-0 lead. A Mink walk and an RBI double by senior second basemanKeith Dearden followed in the fourth, expanding Oglethorpe's advantage to 5-0.
Mink finished the game 2 for 2 at the plate, reaching twice more via walk and scoring a couple of runs. Dearden went 2 for 5 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored, while Miller went 2 for 3 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored.
"We just have to be better on the mound," said Oglethorpe head coach Dan Giordano. "I think our guys are competing, but we need to throw more strikes. Like I said yesterday, we've yet to put everything together in a complete game, but I think we are close. We're looking to end this trip on a high note tomorrow."
The Petrels wind up their stay at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational Saturday at 9:15 a.m., when they take on Central (Iowa) from the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale, Florida. After that, they'll return from Florida to take on Piedmont and Huntingdon on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, before heading out to Conway, Arkansas, for their next SAA series against Hendrix.