The Oglethorpe baseball team bounced back in a big way Saturday in Danville, Kentucky, sweeping a doubleheader from the homestanding Centre Colonels and improving to 13-13 on the season, 5-7 in conference play. The Stormy Petrels used a huge bases-clearing double from senior shortstop Spencer Transue in the sixth inning of a 7-inning Game 2 to help them pull away for a 6-1 win in that game after holding on for a 5-2 victory in Game 1.

The two teams engaged in a pitcher's duel through the vast majority of Game 2. The Petrels scored a run in the top of the first when sophomore center fielder Britton Araujo led off the game with a single and sophomore catcher Adrian Celata followed with an RBI double. The Colonels answered back in the third inning, but the game went to the late innings tied 1-1.

Freshman starter Tristen Powell went the first three innings allowing just a run on three hits and a walk. Senior right-hander Sam Franklin picked up from there and allowed one hit and no runs through the next couple of innings.

However, Centre starter Jordan Short matched the Oglethorpe hurlers pitch for pitch. The game entered the sixth inning still tied 1-1. Sophomore left fielder Jarvis Miller began the inning with a walk. One batter later, sophomore first baseman Dee Kelly walked and sophomore right fielder Corey Hamm immediately followed with another single, loading the bases with two outs. Transue followed with Oglethorpe's biggest hit of the day, a bases-clearing double that scored all three runs and gave Oglethorpe a 4-1 lead.

The Petrels added a pair of insurance runs on a 2-run single from junior designated hitter Brandon Fish in the seventh. Franklin did not allow another baserunner and the Petrels wound up cruising to the 6-1 win.

Franklin earned the victory to improve to 1-1 on the season. He wound up throwing four shutout innings, allowing just a single hit and a single walk, striking out six. Celata led the team over the course of the game, going 2 for 4 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored.

In Game 1, the Petrels got more good pitching and slowly built a lead over the early part of the game. First baseman Celata hit a 2-out single in the first and came around to score on a double from Fish, giving themselves an early 1-0 lead. They added another run in the third when Araujo and Miller hit consecutive singles to lead off the inning, were moved over on a flyout by Celata, then Araujo came home on a sacrifice fly from Fish, making it 2-0.

Oglethorpe pushed their lead out to four runs in the fifth. Junior shortstop Gabriel Selochan reached on a 2-base error to lead off the inning and Araujo followed with a run-scoring single, making it 3-0. Miller followed with a single and advanced to second when Araujo was caught stealing third. That advancement proved to be big, as Fish immediately followed with his third RBI of the game on a run-scoring single. 

The Colonels cut into the 4-0 Oglethorpe lead with a single run in the sixth, but the Petrels responded with a run in the seventh. A 1-out double by Celata was followed, a couple of batters later, by an RBI single from junior third baseman Austin Ferlita, putting Oglethorpe back up by four.

Centre tallied a run in the eighth, but it wasn't enough to get them back into the game, as the Petrels used a couple of solid pitching performances to close the game out. Senior left-hander Kyle Mitchell started the game and got through six innings allowing just a single run on six hits. Junior righty Sam Traxler came in and allowed an unearned run on two hits over an inning. Transue came in after Centre scored their eighth-inning run and was very good in earning the save, allowing just a walk and striking out three over two innings.

Araujo, Miller, Celata, Fish and Hamm all had two hits in Game 1, with Fish going 2 for 4 with three RBIs. 

"It's nice to finally be on the right side of some tight games," said Oglethorpe head coach Dan Giordano. "I thought we were solid on the mound in both games and that we came through with several big hits, which is something we've been missing. I think Transue's bases-clearing double can be a turning point for us."

The Petrels will now return home for seven of their next eight, starting with a non-conference game against Huntingdon Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Anderson Field. After that, they'll welcome in Berry for another 3-game SAA series Friday and Saturday.