ATLANTA – Another late-inning rally came up short for the Oglethorpe baseball team in a 7-5 loss to Covenant Friday night at Hermance Stadium. Starting pitcher Colby James struck out eight and walked none in five-plus innings of work, but timely hitting from the Scots and costly errors by the Oglethorpe defense cost the Stormy Petrels.

Mason Pearcy helped the Petrels tie the game in the sixth with a two-out single that scored Jonathan Cruz and saw Wyatt Lee come home on a Covenant error. The play made the score 3-3, although the Scots took the lead in the next half inning on a home run then expanded the lead to 7-4 with three runs in the eight.

It set up an exciting finish as Carter Guarino walked to lead off the bottom of the ninth, then Cruz had a two-out RBI single to make it 7-5. The Stormy Petrels even had the winning run on first base when Wyatt Lee drew a hit batter to load the bases, but a strikeout ended the threat.

James went 5.2 innings and allowed only four hits and one earned run, three total, striking out eight and walking none. Will Marconi, Colin Stewart and Heshie Getson all threw an inning of relief, with Getson allowing only one base runner via an error in the ninth.

Three Petrels recorded multiple hits. Lee went 3-for-4 with a run scored while Sam Mills went 3-for-4, also with a run scored. Cruz went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run. In all, the Petrels tallied 12 hits compared to the Scots' six hits.

Up next, Oglethorpe and Covenant wrap up the three-game series with a twin bill at Covenant on Saturday, Feb. 19, starting at 12 p.m. The Stormy Petrels will be home again on Tuesday, Feb. 22, against Huntingdon.