The Oglethorpe baseball team salvaged a game from their three-game series with the Hendrix Warriors in style Sunday at Anderson Field. Junior first baseman Jack Bartlewski launched a walkoff solo home run in the ninth inning to turn what had been a back-and-forth contest into an 11-10 Stormy Petrel victory. The win snapped Oglethorpe's 10-game losing streak and improved them to 10-26 overall and 6-12 in SAA play on the season.
With the score tied 10-10 going to the bottom of the ninth, Bartlewski took the first pitch he saw from Hendrix reliever Jacob Wagner and rocketed a high drive off a pine tree beyond the right-field fence, securing victory for Oglethorpe.
It came after Hendrix twice erased two-run Oglethorpe leads and tied the game.
With Hendrix ahead 6-4 in the sixth, sophomore catcher Alec Babb led off with a single and senior third baseman Dylan Leonard followed two batters later with a long home run over the center-field fence, tying the game. The inning wasn't over yet, though. Senior center fielder Jacob Gassert started a two-out rally with a walk, and junior second baseman Austin Jackson followed with a single which moved Gassert to third. Jackson advanced to second on the throw, as well. Senior right fielder Patrick Burnette then came through with a two-run single through the left side, vaulting the Petrels into an 8-6 lead.
However, the Warriors bounced back with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, tying the game 8-8.
Babb knocked his first career home run to left-center in the bottom of the inning, a two-run shot which put the Petrels back ahead by two, this time 10-8.
Hendrix answered back with two more runs in the eighth inning though, tying the score again. However, sophomore right-hander Chris Keane got out of a runners-at-first-and-second jam to finish the eighth and sophomore right-hander Justin Kacena worked his way out of a two-runners-on, one-out predicament in the ninth, inducing a strikeout and a popout. That set up Bartlewski's heroics in the bottom half of the inning.
The Petrels jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first as five of their first six hitters reached base. Gassert, Jackson, Burnette and Mink all singled, with Burnette's scoring Gassert. After that, Babb drew a bases-loaded walk to double the home side's early lead.
The Warriors answered with three runs in the second, two in the third and one in the fifth, though, vaulting into a 6-2 lead. Oglethorpe came back with a couple runs off a two-run Andrew Mink home run in the bottom half of the inning, setting the stage for his team's four-run sixth.
Kacena earned the victory in relief, walking two but striking out one in his inning of work and improving to 2-1 on the season.
Burnette led the way for the Petrels, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs and a run scored. Babb finished 2-for-3 with his home run, a walk, three RBIs and two runs scored.
The Petrels will close out their home schedule on Tuesday night with a game against the crosstown-rival Emory Eagles. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. from Anderson Field.