The Oglethorpe baseball team split a doubleheader from Berry Saturday at Anderson Field, allowing them to take 2-of-3 from the visiting Vikings in the opening SAA series of the season. After falling 13-4 in Game 1, the Petrels responded with an 8-1 victory in Game 2 to improve to 8-3 on the season overall and 2-1 in SAA play.
The Petrels jumped on the Vikings right away in Game 2, as senior center fielder Jarvis Miller bombed a home run to right field to give Oglethorpe a 1-0 lead. Berry responded with a home run of their own in the second, but Oglethorpe came back with four runs in the third inning. Senior catcher Bobby Rezac walked and senior designated hitter Adrian Celata followed with a single. That brought sophomore first baseman Andrew Mink to the plate, and he ripped a double into the left-center field gap to drive in Rezac and give Oglethorpe the lead. Senior right fielder Patrick Burnette followed with a 3-run shot to right field, his second 3-run homer in as many days, to give the Petrels a 5-1 advantage.
Oglethorpe scored two more runs on a 2-run single from Mink in the fourth inning, vaulting Oglethorpe into a 7-1 lead. They added their final run in the fifth on an RBI single by freshman shortstop Alex Featherstone.
Meanwhile, junior left-hander Kyle Babb was dealing. He threw a complete game over seven innings, allowing a run on just five hits, walking three and striking out three. He earned his second victory of the season in the process.
Mink went 2-for-3 for the game with a double, a walk, three RBIs and a run scored. Celata went 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Featherstone went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
Berry went ahead 3-0 in the first inning of Game 1, and 6-1 after two-and-a-half innings. Oglethorpe responded with a Mink 3-run homer in the bottom half of the third, making the score 6-4, but the Vikings added single runs in the fifth, sixth and eighth, then exploded for four runs in the ninth to put the game away.
Senior right-hander Matt Davis suffered the loss, allowing six earned runs on 13 hits, walking one and striking out three, over six innings.
Mink went 3-for-4 with the 3-run shot, while senior third baseman Connor Crooke posted a 2-for-4 game.
"I was really impressed with our team's ability to bounce back in Game 2 and take the series," said Oglethorpe head coach Dan Giordano. "We've been a resilient group so far this season and I think that will go a long way for us the rest of the year. Kyle Babb was just outstanding in the final game of the series, challenging their tough lineup and making pitch after pitch. Our defense was just as solid behind him. That was a complete team win."
The Petrels get a week off from conference action. They'll travel down I-85 to take on No. 10 LaGrange at 5 p.m. Tuesday before welcoming non-conference opponents Rose-Hulman and Kalamazoo to Anderson Field next weekend.