The Oglethorpe baseball team enjoyed one of their best days of the season so far Saturday, sweeping the No. 12 Berry Vikings in a Senior Day doubleheader. The Stormy Petrels won the first game 9-4 before holding on for a 12-9 victory in Game 2. The victories improved the Petrels to 12-19 overall and 8-12 in SAA play.

Berry led 4-0 after two innings in Game 1 and Viking starter Charles Stephenson was cruising into the fourth, not allowing a Petrel baserunner through the first three innings. Everything went right for Oglethorpe in the bottom of the fourth, though, and they turned the game on its head. After a bloop single and a walk started the inning for the Petrels, senior catcher Alec Babb bombed a three-run homer over the left-field fence to make it 4-3. They loaded the bases and then proceeded to score three times on fielder's choice grounders where Berry got no outs, once on a bases-loaded walk and once on an infield single. When the dust settled, the Petrels had scored nine runs on five hits, bringing 14 batters to the plate. 

The Petrels held on down the stretch as freshman right-hander Colby James pitched the final 2 2/3 innings in relief, not allowing a run and giving up only two hits. Senior Reddon McLaurine picked up the win in relief for Oglethorpe, walking a batter and striking out a batter in two-thirds of an inning.

Oglethorpe jumped out to a 5-1 lead in Game 2, scoring a run in the first on a Chris Keane RBI single and four in the second on a 2-run double by sophomore second baseman Jonathan Cruz, a sacrifice fly by freshman right fielder Gabe Bryant, and a Babb RBI double. 

Berry bounced back with three runs in the third and another in the fourth, pulling to within a single run, but the Petrels pushed their lead back out over the next few innings. They scored a run in the fourth on a Babb RBI single, then added another single tally in the fifth inning. The Petrels added four runs in the sixth, breaking the game open on a bases-clearing double by senior designated hitter Ian Wilson, a hit that gave the Petrels an 11-4 lead.

After Berry scored twice in the seventh, the Petrels used an RBI single by senior second baseman Alex Featherstone to extend their lead back out to six runs, 12-6. Berry scored three times in the ninth, but junior right-handed pitcher Jordan Bogle came on with the tying run at the plate and induced a foul out to third to end the game. Third baseman Billy Finch made a fantastic play, crashing into the fence down the third-base, to secure the win.

Bogle earned a save for his one-batter outing, while James came in and delivered another 3 1/3 innings of quality relief, allowing just one earned run on four hits while striking out four. He picked up his second win of the year for his efforts.

Saturday also served as Senior Day for the Petrels, with Babb, McLaurine, Wilson, Featherstone, outfielder Tommy Campa, catcher Cory DeLair, right-hander Devlin Basinger and right-hander Kyle Blakeney all honored prior to the game.

The Petrels will finish their conference season with a trip to Alabama to take on Birmingham-Southern in four games next Saturday and Sunday.