MOUNT BERRY, Ga. -- The Berry Vikings opened Southern Athletic Association play Friday with a doubleheader sweep over the Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels, winning game one 18-8 and game two 23-11, bolstered by Riley Uhls's 10 RBI day.
GAME ONE
ELEVEN RUN FOURTH LEADS VIKINGS TO WIN
The Berry Vikings won game one of their doubleheader against the Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels 18-8 in a seven-inning game shortened by the run rule, backed by a strong start from Jackson Halla and a great performance by the bats.
A perfect first inning from Halla set the tone for his performance, and the Vikings' bats did not wait to reward him. Alex Knapp led off the first with a triple, and Nick Brunswick's single put the Berry on the board. The first pitch of the next at-bat to Uhls was jumped on and sent over the left field fence, giving the Vikings an early 3-0 lead. A fourth run scored when Caleb Spikes reached on an error, allowing Charles Pulaski to score.
Halla worked another perfect inning in the second but ran into trouble in the third. Oglethorpe threatened with the bases loaded, but timely outs allowed the Petrels to only score one run in the inning, making the score 4-1. Halla faced the minimum in the fourth inning, benefiting from a runner being caught stealing.
The Vikings broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth, as they plated 11 runs in the inning. Small ball led the way for Berry, as the only extra base hit was Uhls's 2 RBI double, which started the scoring in the inning. Seven singles, mixed with a fielder's choice and some errors, kept the inning rolling for the Vikings. A multitude of batters knocked runs in and reached base, and when the dust was settled, the score was 15-1.
Halla ran into more trouble in the fifth, but a well-executed infield relay gunned Trey Kinnan down at third, trying to turn a double into a triple. Only one run scored for the Petrels, making the score 15-2. Aiden Cloud's RBI single for the Vikings in the bottom half of the fifth pushed their lead back to 14 runs, with the score 16-2.
Halla worked through the sixth without allowing a run, ending his impressive outing. The Vikings added two more runs to their tally in the bottom of the sixth on Nate Coker's sacrifice fly and a wild pitch, making the score 18-2 heading to the seventh.
Oglethorpe attempted a comeback in the seventh, but they did not score enough runs to keep the game going. Berry turned to Cole Porter to clean up the mess and secure the victory, and he eventually did just that, with the score ending at 18-8 as the run rule took effect.
Uhls led the team with four RBIs, Andrew Pendleton and Brunswick each had two RBIs, and the other six batters in the starting lineup each had an RBI. Knapp led the team with three hits, five players had two hits, and the remaining three in the starting lineup each had a hit. The only substitute to record an RBI was Coker, and Andrew McAdams recorded his first career hit.
Halla earned the win for the Vikings, going six innings of two-run ball with three strikeouts. Marco Cabrera started the seventh, but did not record an out. Porter finished the seventh and the game.
GAME TWO
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION LEADS VIKINGS TO SERIES WIN
The Berry Vikings swept the doubleheader and won the series over the Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels, winning this game 23-11, due to a strong offensive performance.
Jackson Collett started the game and worked a quick first inning, continuing his work from his last few starts. Just like the first game, the Vikings struck quickly, as Andrew Pendleton's RBI groundout scored the first run for Berry.
Collett ran into trouble in the second, giving up a two-run home run to Mason Pearcy to make the score 2-1 in favor of the Petrels. A few batters later, Nicholas Angelakos entered the game and got out of the inning, only allowing one more run to score.
Berry retaliated quickly, as they retook the lead in the bottom of the second inning. Back-to-back RBI singles from Aiden Cloud and Alex Knapp tied the game, and Nick Brunswick's RBI single gave the Vikings the lead. Riley Uhls's second home run of the day, this time a three-run opposite field blast, gave Berry a 7-3 lead.
The Vikings added four more runs to the tally in the bottom of the third, and four consecutive two-out extra base hits in the right center gap scored the first three of these runs. Charles Pulaski's RBI single made the score 11-3.
Oglethorpe responded in the fourth inning with four runs of their own, two coming on J.J. Corr's double and two coming on Jonathan Cruz's home run, cutting the Berry lead to 11-7.
The Vikings rebuilt their lead in the bottom of the fourth, as they plated four runs. The first of these runs scored on Brighton Quinnelly's first career hit, an RBI single through the left side. Another run scored on a wild pitch, and two more scored on Uhls's RBI single, pushing their lead to 15-7 heading into the fifth inning.
A scoreless inning from Angelakos gave Berry a chance to extend their lead, which they did not squander as the Vikings plated three more runs. The sixteenth run for Berry scored on Quinnelly's RBI groundout, and the next two runs scored on singles from Knapp and Brunswick.
The Petrels produced yet another four-run inning in the sixth, scoring off a couple singles, a fielder's choice, and a sacrifice fly, making the score 18-11 in favor of the Vikings.
The bottom of the sixth held five more runs in store for Berry, with the big hit being Jacob Bridges's 2 RBI double down the left field line. A wild pitch scored the 23rd run of the game, and the 41st on the day for the Vikings, ending the scoring frenzy of the doubleheader.
Tyler Cassidy worked a quick seventh and sealed the victory for the Vikings.
Uhls's six RBIs led the team, and Brunswick was second with his three RBIs. Brunswick also went 5-for-5 and scored four runs, leading the team in both departments. Chase Edmonds also scored four times. Knapp, Pendleton, Bridges, and Quinnelly all had two RBIs, and Tanaka Mukono, Edmonds, Pulaski, and Cloud each had an RBI.
Collett started and threw 1.2 innings with two strikeouts while allowing three runs, two earned, before Angelakos replaced him. Angelakos earned the win as he went 3.2 innings in relief, allowing one earned run with six strikeouts. Mason Schoonover replaced him in the sixth and collected the final two outs of that inning, while allowing an unearned run. Cassidy pitched the seventh and struck the final batter out.
Berry will go for the sweep on Sunday, as game three of the series against Oglethorpe is set to start at 1 ET.
