The Oglethorpe baseball team fell behind early to Berry in Mount Berry, Ga., Friday afternoon and couldn't quite recover, falling 7-6 in the end.

Both teams scored in the first inning. The Petrels took a 1-0 lead in the top half of the inning when shortstop Spencer Transue led off the game with a double, advanced to third on an infield single, and scored on a bases-loaded hit batsman.

Berry came back with two in the bottom half of the inning, though, taking a 2-1 lead. Oglethorpe came back with a run of their own in the second. Center fielder Vernon Trice walked, then Transue singled up the middle, advancing Trice to third. Right fielder Nick Manai followed with a single of his own, scoring Trice and tying the game.

However, Berry scored two runs in the fourth and three in the fifth, taking a 7-2 lead into the seventh. In that inning, Oglethorpe mounted a rally. Catcher Jeff Brothers led off the inning with a double to right. Then, with one out, first baseman Casey Tuttle walked, putting two runners on. With two out in the inning, third baseman Frank Sarno singled, loading the bases. Then, Trice came through with a big two-run single to center, and Transue followed with an RBI single of his own, making the score 7-5. Manai followed with an RBI single, drawing the Stormy Petrels to within a single run, 7-6. The bulk of the rally came with two outs in the inning, so it ended on a Petrel foulout on the next batter.

Oglethorpe threatened again in the ninth inning with the score still the same. They put runners on first and second with one out down by a single run, but grounded into a game-ending double play.

Cory Leff suffered the loss for the Petrels, allowing five earned runs on 11 hits over 4 2/3 innings. He falls to 0-4 on the year.

Manai was a sizzling 4-for-5 on the afternoon, clouting a double and driving in two runs. Transue posted an impressive 3-for-6 linescore. He doubled, too, as well as driving in a run and scoring a run.

The loss drops the Petrels to 4-14 on the season, now 1-6 in SAA play. The team is schedule to take the field again tomorrow, weather permitting, for Game 2 of this three-game set with Berry. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.