DECATUR, Ill. – The Baldwin Wallace University baseball team started its weekend in the NCAA Division III Regionals with a 9-3 victory against Wartburg (Iowa) College to enter the winner's bracket over the next 24 hours behind senior starting pitcher and left-handed ace Brit Kostura (Tequesta, Fla./Jupiter Christian School).
Kostura went the distance for the second time this season, striking out four, allowing three runs, eight hits, and issuing just two walks.
"They came to battle us, and they really played well," Kostura said. "But it helps that we have such a good defense behind me, too, that makes it easier."
On offense, the team was led by junior catcher Mason Fixx (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) and first baseman Ryan Gordon (Strongsville), who went 3-for-4 with an RBI and 1-for-4 and drove in three RBI as they helped the team score nine runs, their third game this postseason with at least nine runs.
Scoring Summary
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Bottom 5th – Senior shortstop Matt Terzola (Uniontown/Archbishop Hoban) hit a sacrifice bunt down the first base line to give BW a 1-0 lead and their first run of the weekend
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Bottom 5th – Junior designated hitter Colin West (Westborough, Mass./Worcester Academy) drew a walk with the bases loaded, which gave the Brown and Gold a 2-0 lead
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Bottom 6th – Junior catcher Mason Fixx (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) had an RBI double to right center field and extended the Yellow Jacket lead to three
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Bottom 7th – Junior first-baseman Ryan Gordon (Strongsville) had a two-run single up the middle to give the Yellow Jackets a comfortable 5-0 lead
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Bottom 7th – Junior second-basemen Carson Petrecca (Willowick/Eastlake North) hit a sacrifice fly deep down the right field foul line to score a run and put BW up by six
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Bottom 8th – Gordon was hit by a pitch, which brought in another run for the Brown and Gold, giving them their seventh run
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Bottom 8th – Petrecca walked in another run for the team's second scoring play of the inning with the bases loaded
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Bottom 8th – A wild pitch scored Senior OAC Player of the Year Dennis Ritlinger-Nirider (Grove City) to give the Yellow Jackets their ninth and final run of the day
At the Plate
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Ritlinger-Nirider reached base a total of three times throughout the game, including two singles and a hit by pitch
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Junior second-baseman Carson Petrecca (Willowick/Eastlake North) was able to reach base safely two times, including going 1-for-2 with a walk and scoring two runs
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Senior right-fielder John Panstares (Westlake/St Ignatius) also reached base safely twice for the contest, going 1-for-3 with a walk
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Fixx was 3-for-4 with a double, two singles, and driving in one run
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West went 1-for-4 with a single and an RBI walk; His run was the Yellow Jackets' second of the game
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Senior infielder Sean Kolenich (Parma/St. Edward) walked twice and scored two of the Yellow Jacket runs
On the Mound
Up Next
The Yellow Jackets are back in action tomorrow, May 16, at Workman Family Baseball Field once again, where they will play the winner of the Millikin-Wisconsin La Crosse game that's being played later today. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT, approx.
