The Oglethorpe baseball team split their SAA doubleheader at Hendrix Saturday afternoon, taking the second game 4-2 after dropping the first 8-2 in Conway, Arkansas. The results move the Stormy Petrels to 11-9 on the season overall and 3-5 in SAA play.
The Petrels fashioned a 2-run sixth inning in the second game to break a 2-2 tie and vault themselves to a 4-2 victory in the 7-inning contest. After a 1-out walk from sophomore first baseman Dee Kelly, sophomore left fielder Jarvis Miller grounded into a fielder's choice. Sophomore right fielder Patrick Burnette struck out as the next batter, seemingly ending the inning, but an error by the Warrior catcher extended the frame and put runners at second and third. Sophomore left fielder Britton Araujo followed with a huge 2-run single, giving Oglethorpe the final margin they would need.
Junior right-hander Justin Thigpen came on in relief in the bottom half of the inning and induced a double play grounder in each frame to help him close the contest out for his second save of the campaign.
The Warriors had tied the game in the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly off Oglethorpe left-handed starter Kyle Mitchell, but that came after Oglethorpe took a 1-run lead in the top half of the inning. With two outs and nobody on, a walk and a pair of singles, the latter one from Miller, scored the go-ahead run after Hendrix tied the game in the third with a steal of home plate. The Petrels got the game started in the first on a bases-loaded walk from junior third baseman Austin Ferlita.
Mitchell pitched well and secured the victory in Game 2, improving to 3-0 on the season. He threw five innings for the Petrels, allowing just a single earned run on four hits while working around six walks and a hit batsman.
Araujo led the Petrels with a 2 for 3 evening, contributing a walk, two RBIs, a run scored and a stolen base. Junior designated hitter Brandon Fish went 2 for 4 with a strikeout.
In the first game, the Petrels got behind the 8-ball after giving up six runs in the fifth inning. The Warriors piled a couple more on in the sixth, making it an 8-0 game and all but securing the contest. The Petrels added a couple of runs in the final two innings, one on a bases-loaded walk from senior second baseman Keith Dearden and the other on an RBI groundout from senior shortstop Spencer Transue, but the hole proved too much to dig out of.
Sophomore right-hander Matt Davis suffered the loss, allowing six runs on four hits over four innings of work, walking four and hitting three Hendrix batters. Sophomore first baseman Adrian Celata went 2 for 3 in the game with a double and a walk.
The Petrels will be back in action Sunday afternoon from Conway, as they'll take on Hendrix in the rubber match of the 3-game set. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. Eastern time.