The Oglethorpe University baseball team began their season in
style on Sunday afternoon by enjoying a final inning 3-run walk-off
homerun from Brendan Pilger to claim the season opener over
Maryville, 8-7.
The Scots rallied to claim game two of the doubleheader by the
score of 16-8 to earn the series split but it was the bat of
Brendan Pilger in game one that carried the story of the day after
the senior belted a staggering three homeruns in the 7 inning
contest.
Maryville jumped out to a 4-0 lead by plating 2 runs in
each of the first two innings of game one against Petrel pitcher
Sam Briend. The Petrels got one run back in the bottom of the
second after Stephen Archer doubled and was driven home on freshman
Nick Manai's first career RBI. Oglethorpe got two more runs in the
bottom of the third after Pilger followed a Matt Cornwell double
with his first homer of the game.
The Scots pushed the lead back to 6-3 by plating 2 in the top of
the fifth but Oglethorpe responded immediately with 2 of their own
in the bottom half on Pilger's second blast of the day that also
plated sophomore Jake Spear.
Maryville pushed another run across in the 6th to head into the
decisive bottom of the 7th holding a 7-5 lead. Junior Andrew
Lofholm began the 7th by collecting a hit-by-pitch and Jake Spear
reached on a Scot error. After unsuccessfully trying to bunt the
runners over, Cornwell popped out to right field. Pilger stepped to
the plate and ran the count to 1-1 before crushing the third pitch
over the left field fence to set off a wild celebration on Anderson
Field.
The Scots managed to temper some of the game one celebration by
rallying from a 8-1 deficit to win game two, 16-8. The Petrels
jumped on top in the first with a two-run double from Andy Farrey
and then piled on 6 runs in the second with Cornwell driving in 1,
Farrey plating 2 more, Adam Brazenas collecting a 2-run RBI and the
final run scoring on a throwing error. Those would be the Petrels
final runs of the game, however, as the Scots got 3 in the 3rd, 2
in the 4th, 1 in the 5th and 7 in the 6th to put the game away.
Oglethorpe is now 1-1 on the season and will have a few days off
before facing Emory this Friday on Anderson Field at 4:00 p.m.
