WESTFIELD, Ind. – The Baldwin Wallace University Baseball team traveled to Central Indiana and defeated the Pioneers of Alfred State (N.Y.) College by a score of 19-3 at Grand Park Sports Complex behind a career day from Senior All-Ohio Athletic Conference third baseman Sean Kolenich (Parma/St Edward).
The fifth-year player had six hits in seven at-bats with three triples and a double to go with five RBI's as the Brown and Gold start off the season on a good note. The Yellow Jackets had 20 hits as a team, the same number they had just once in 2025, in a win at North Central on March 14. Six BW players had multi-hit efforts in a game that is BW's largest margin of victory in a season opener since at least 2009.
Scoring Summary
Top 1st - Junior Colin West (Westborough, Mass./Worcester Academy) hit a sacrifice fly to right field to open up the scoring and put BW up 1-0
Top 2nd - Senior John Panstares (Westlake/St Ignatius) reached on a fly ball error by the center fielder for the second run of the game
Top 2nd - Kolenich singled down the third base line for his first RBI of the day
Top 4th - Kolenich singled again, this time to center field, to give BW the lead 4-3 after the Pioneers scored three unanswered to tie it
Top 5th - Senior outfielder Nolan Kellicker (Dover) singled to second base, which was his first of two hits on the day
Top 5th - Senior Academic All-OAC infielder Matt Terzola (Uniontown/Archbishop) singled to left as the Yellow Jackets scored on their second consecutive play
Top 5th - Kolenich tripled to score two runs and increase the Yellow Jacket lead to five runs; Kolenich scored before the next batter came to the plate
Top 5th - West doubled to center for his second RBI of the game and the team's 10th in as many innings
Top 5th - Junior first baseman Ryan Gordon (Strongsville) reached on a fielding error by the Alfred State pitcher to end a seven-run frame
Top 6th - Terzola doubled to center field for his second RBI of the day
Top 6th - Kolenich popped up to shallow right field, and it scored another run
Top 6th - All-OAC senior Dennis Ritlinger-Nirider had a single along the first base side and at this point became 14-3 BW
Top 6th - Gordon had a double to left, his second RBI of the day
Top 8th - Junior infielder Jake Druschel (Tampa, Fla./George Steinbrenner) had a single to center field
Top 8th - Sophomore utility player Maddox Tarquino (McKees Rock, Pa./Montour) had a sacrifice fly to score the 17th run of the game for the Brown and Gold
Top 9th - Ritlinger-Nirider ripped a triple out to center field, driving in his second run of the day
Top 9th - Academic All-OAC catcher Brady Bly (Mason/William Mason) drove in the final run of the day, a fielder's choice to the shortstop
At the Plate
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Kolenich was 6-for-7 with two doubles, a triple, and three singles to drive in five runs and came a homer shy of the cycle
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Ritlinger-Nirider was 2-for-6 with a triple and a walk, driving in two runs
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West was 2-for-5 in the opener with a double
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Gordon was 2-for-4 with a walk and a double
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Kellicker was 2-for-5 with an RBI
- Terzola also had two hits in five at-bats, with one of them being a double
On the Mound
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Junior right-handed pitcher Matt Moscarino (Strongsville/Padua Franciscan) took the ball for the Yellow Jackets in the season opener and was in there for four innings. He allowed three runs, four hits, issued just one walk, and had five strikeouts in 76 pitches of work
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Senior Academic All-OAC left-handed pitcher Brit Kostura (Tequesta, Fla./Jupiter Christian School) came in relief and threw three innings of shutout ball. He had five strikeouts and allowed just one hit over 37 pitches
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Freshman right-handed pitcher Jared Thacker (Powell/Olentangy Liberty) pitched the eighth and struck out all three batters he retired, and allowed one hit over 18 pitches
- Senior Academic All-OAC right-handed pitcher Tyler Walker (Fairlawn/Copley) closed the deal for the Brown and Gold to secure their first win of the season with one strikeout and a hit
Up Next
The Yellow Jackets are back in action on Saturday, February 21, when they hit the road for a three-game weekend series in Baltimore, Md., at Babb Field; Stromberg Stadium, first against John Hopkins (Md.). First pitch is set for 11 a.m., and fans can
click here to watch the game. They will also play St. John Fisher (N.Y.) at 2:30 later that day in the second game of a doubleheader and will close that weekend series against the Cardinals at 11 am the following day.
