Oglethorpe University used a big fourth inning and went on to a 14-5 win over LaGrange College in Williamson Stadium at Cleaveland Field on Tuesday. The loss dropped the Panthers to 2-4 on the season, while the Stormy Petrels improved to 2-3.
Oglethorpe pounded out 15 hits and took advantage of 11 walks issued by seven Panther pitchers. The Stormy Petrels came into the game having scored 11 runs in four games, including a 6-1 loss to the Panthers last Saturday.
Henry Jacobs (0-1) started and took the loss. He allowed three runs on a hit, walked four and struck out three. He was followed by Justin Rudd, Daniel Adams, Matt Steele, Josh Bricker, Isaiah Whitfield and Derek O'Kelley.
Whitfield threw three scoreless innings, allowing four hits and striking out three. O'Kelley threw a scoreless ninth inning, pitching around two walks.
The Panthers took a 1-0 lead in the second inning off Oglethorpe starter John Gibbs (1-0). Brent Kinsey led off the inning with a single. He moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt and a wild pitch. Jim Reed's RBI base hit up the middle scored Kinsey.
Oglethorpe came back in the top of the third with three runs on just one hit. Jacobs was relieved by Rudd after issuing two walks and throwing two wild pitches leading to the first run of the inning.. The Stormy Petrels added two more runs before Rudd got an inning-ending double play.
The Stormy Petrels broke the game open in the fourth inning. Rudd got the first two batters of the inning. From there, the Stormy Petrels had 11 straight batters reach base against Rudd, Adams and Steele in scoring eight runs to go up 11-1.
Oglethorpe closed out its scoring with three runs in the fifth off Steele and Bricker to make it 14-1. Whitfield and O'Kelley were able to keep the Stormy Petrels off the board over the final four innings.
The Panthers got two runs in the fifth and two more in the seventh to close out the scoring. Travis Ross and Kinsey had RBI singles in the fifth. In the seventh, Cameron Fields drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Josh Shiver had a run-scoring double.
The Panthers had 10 hits in the game. Kinsey and Jim Reed each had two hits. In addition to Shiver, Brandon Espinosa also had a double.
The Panthers host York (Pa.) on Friday at 3 p.m.
