The Oglethorpe baseball team fell 9-5 Tuesday in a midweek non-conference tilt against the LaGrange Panthers in LaGrange, Georgia. The Panthers pushed ahead 3-0 in the early-going and continued to build their lead throughout the game. The defeat dropped the Stormy Petrels to 11-11 on the season and was the team's fifth in their last six games.

LaGrange scored single runs in the first, third and fourth innings to build a 3-0 advantage. The Petrels bounced back with a couple runs in the fifth inning to draw to within a single run. Freshman right fielder Scott Witt led off the inning with a single and proceeded to steal second base. Two batters later, senior shortstop Spencer Transue drove him in with an RBI single, then took second on the unsuccessful throw to the plate. Transue moved up to third on a flyout from sophomore center fielder Britton Araujo, then scored on another RBI single from sophomore left fielder Jarvis Miller, making the score 3-2. 

The Panthers got a run back in the fifth, though, then took control of the game with three additional runs in the sixth on a bases-clearing triple. Down 7-2, the Petrels fought back with a pair of runs in the eighth. They loaded the bases with nobody out and then got a sacrifice fly from junior designated hitter Brandon Fish to make it 7-3. Two batters later, Witt came to the plate and singled another run home, pushing Oglethorpe back within striking distance at 7-4. The Panthers got both runs back in the bottom of the inning, though, pushing their lead back out to five runs at 9-4. 

In the ninth, Miller reached first base on a 2-out error and junior third baseman Austin Ferlita followed with a run-scoring triple to make it 9-5. They could get nothing more, however, and LaGrange was able to secure the victory.

Senior right-hander Joe Marco suffered the loss to fall to 1-4 on the season. He pitched the first four innings of the game, allowing a couple of earned runs on two hits, two walks, and two hit batsmen. 

Witt finished the game with a 2 for 3 scorecard, posting a walk, an RBI and a run. Meanwhile, Miller went 2 for 5 with an RBI and two runs scored and Ferlita went 1 for 3 with a triple, two walks, an RBI, and a run scored. 

"We battled tonight, but couldn't get the big hit when we needed it," said Oglethorpe head coach Dan Giordano. "Our pitchers kept it close most of the night, but we needed to make a few more pitches to get out of some jams. We need to come out tomorrow and get some momentum going for the weekend."

The Petrels will take on Chicago Wednesday night at 7 p.m. on Anderson Field. After that, they'll travel to Danville, Kentucky, for a 3-game SAA series against Centre with a single game Friday and a doubleheader Saturday.