The Emory University baseball team's 2026 season came to an end Tuesday night in Brookhaven as the Eagles fell 16-15 in 10 innings to Oglethorpe University at Hermance Stadium.
Emory collected a season-high 20 hits in Tuesday's finale with the top half of the lineup doing most of the damage as the 1-4 spots in the order combined to go 12-for-20 at the dish with 10 RBI and scored 11 of the team's runs.
Junior Jonathan Lang was one of four players with three-hit efforts on the night as he went 3-for-4 with a career-high five RBI. Classmate Zach Hanson notched a 3-for-5 evening with three doubles, four RBI and tied for the team lead with four runs scored. Fellow junior Jake Lawson ended his stellar campaign with a 3-for-5 game, scoring four times and stole a game-high three bases. Freshman Dalton Needle connected on a home run while Jackson Fardo belted the first round tripper of his career.
Hanson and Lang registered RBI doubles to open the game in the top of the first, giving the Eagles the 2-0 lead. However, the Stormy Petrels answered with four runs in the second to take their own two-run lead.
Emory was quick to respond in the third with Hanson smacking another double to plate a pair and senior Cam Newell bringing him home with a groundout. Oglethorpe's Ben Chatham though returned the favor in the bottom of the inning as he cleared the bases with a double to put the Stormy Petrels back in front at 8-5.
Following a Lang sacrifice fly, Needle and Fardo cranked back-to-back solo shots in the fifth to level the score again at 8-8. Once more however, Oglethorpe answered with two runs crossing home plate thanks to a bases loaded HBP and a throwing error during the next plate appearance.
Trailing 10-8 entering the sixth, the Eagles quickly regained the lead with freshman Connor Tam and Hanson plating runs before Lang to Emory ahead with his run-scoring single.
Oglethorpe seized a 12-11 lead with two runs scoring in the seventh but another three-run frame by the Eagles in the eighth put them back on top. Lang picked up another sac fly prior to Needle's go-ahead single followed by Ethan Ramirez's single to score him later in the inning.
Emory tacked on another run in the top of the ninth with Lang coming through with a two-out single to bring home Hanson.
The Stormy Petrels worked three consecutive walks to lead off the bottom of the ninth as they mounted their rally. Two runs would come home in the inning on wild pitches while another tally came across on a groundout.
Fardo drew a walk of his own to lead off the top of the 10th but the Emory bats were sent down in order following him to end any potential threat. In Oglethorpe's tenth frame, two walks set the stage for Jace Armstrong to single through the right side to score Evan Smallwood with the game-winning run as he slid under Fardo's tag as he beat James DelGaudio's throw home.
The Eagles conclude the season with an overall record of 20-20 to go along with a 9-11 record inside University Athletic Association competition. For the Stormy Petrels, they improve to 19-18 on the year.
