JACKSON, Miss. – It was a strong showing by the Millsaps baseball team over the weekend as the Majors took three-of-four games while hosting Oglethorpe (7-12, 3-5 SAA).

Millsaps (5-13, 3-5 SAA) split on Saturday, 8-5, 7-8, and won both games on Sunday by counts of 6-2 and 8-7.

GAME ONE – 8-5
Sophomore pitcher Wil Wood was outstanding as usual to begin the series for the Majors. Wood threw seven innings, striking out seven while surrendering five runs on eight hits. Designated hitter Jon Dale Dieckman was the key factor offensively for the Majors as he posted two hits, including a huge grand slam.  

Both teams were held scoreless for the first five innings until the Stormy Petrels cracked the scoreboard on an error in the top of the sixth. Millsaps would respond with a massive six-run inning in the bottom half of the frame.

Senior Mason Little would drive home David Abbadessa with a bases loaded RBI single to tie the game at 1-1. Catcher Fritz Walker then provided a single of his own to center field to score Sam Pitre. The ensuing batter Dieckman would electrify the crowd with his grand slam blast to put Millsaps ahead, 6-1.

Oglethorpe would cut into the deficit with a run in seventh and three scores in the eighth that would end Wood's day. Senior Ryan Erwin would enter in relief and registered the final two outs with the Majors clinging to a 6-5 lead.

An Abbadessa bunt and wild pitch would plate two more Major runners to provide much needed insurance. Erwin would walk the first batter in the ninth before recording three outs in succession to record the save.
 

GAME TWO – 7-8 (7 inn.)
An early 6-0, first-inning deficit was too much for the Majors to overcome in game two on Saturday.

Erwin returned for 6.1 innings of relief in which he struck out seven batters against three runs and four hits. Walker did his part in the comeback effort, totaling four RBIs.

The senior catcher would get the Majors on the board with a sacrifice fly in the third. Millsaps would then push across five runs in the fourth to tie the game at 6-6.

An Abbadessa RBI double and Alan Merkle RBI single would begin the rally. Walker would return to the plate with a bases-clearing triple that would tie the game before he was tagged out trying to score an inside-the-park home run.

Unfortunately, the Stormy Petrels would tack on two more tallies in the sixth to take an 8-6 edge. Little would cut into the deficit by reaching on an error to score Merkle from second. The Majors would load the bases with two outs but could not find the tying marker.


GAME THREE – 6-2 (7 inn.)
On Sunday, Millsaps cruised to a 6-2, seven-inning victory. Graduate pitcher Taylor Sullivan was tough to beat as he threw 6.1 innings, striking out three Stormy Petrels while allowing eight hits off two runs.

Walker again provided a sacrifice RBI to put the Majors out front, 1-0 in the opening frame. Millsaps would then add to its lead with four runs in the third.

Pitre would score Chris Hart with a triple, and Dieckman would plate Pitre later in the inning with a fielder's choice. With runners on second and third, Mark Petkovsek would score both with a single to expand the Major edge to 5-0.

The Stormy Petrels would finally break through with a run in fifth and another in the seventh, but couldn't muster more beyond that.


GAME FOUR – 8-7
The weekend finale provided back-and-forth excitement and featured a Pitre grand slam and a patchwork of pitching staffs. Millsaps used five pitchers to close out the series while Oglethorpe employed four throwers.

The Stormy Petrels would secure a 2-0 advantage in the second frame. A Petkovsek fielder's choice would score Little in the fourth to cut the deficit to one.

Momentum began to sway between each team in the fifth. Oglethorpe would score three in the top of the fifth only to see the Majors retaliate with three tallies of their own in the latter half.

Hart, Little and Walker would tally RBIs to pull Millsaps closer, trailing 5-4.

A trio of walks to open the bottom of the sixth put the Majors in prime position to take their first lead of the contest. Pitre did not waste the opportunity as he crushed the ball over the right field fence for grand slam.

Oglethorpe wouldn't quit as the squad scored two runs in the eighth to reduce Millsaps' lead to 8-7. Graham Harrison would come in relief and strike out the last two batters, stranding two runners and ending the threat.

Harrison would surrender a single to open the ninth, but then popped and flied out the remaining Storm Petrels to record the save and the win.

Millsaps will have next week off before traveling to Centre for a pair of doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday, March 27-28. Saturday will start at 11 a.m. and Sunday will begin at 11:30 a.m. Live stats and live video will be available at gomajors.com.


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