STORM LAKE, Iowa – Wartburg baseball started this weekend's three-game series against Buena Vista University with a 5-1 win on Friday, Apr. 15. In the win,
Dylan Gotto set the school record for career strikeouts after 10 today.
Game Summary
Offense was hard to come by early in this game as each team only recorded two hits each in the first four innings of play. Knights starting pitcher Gotto began his day on the mound giving up a leadoff hit but then struck out three batters in the first two innings. The senior added three more strikeouts over the next two innings to tie the school record for career strikeouts.
The Knights offense came alive in the top of the fifth inning after a one out double from
Cael Boehmer and then a walk to put two runners on. After another out,
Eliot Jurgensen doubled to center to score both Boehmer and
Carter Stubitz making the score 2-0 after the top half of the fifth.
Gotto broke the record one batter into the fifth inning to become Wartburg's all-time strikeout leader. The Beavers rallied with two outs and with the bases loaded an error helped bring a run across to cut the Knights lead in half. Gotto closed the fifth inning with his eighth strikeout of the contest.
Caleb Andrews got his second hit of the game in the sixth, but he was left stranded to keep the score 2-1 heading to the bottom half. BVU recorded a hit and left the runner stranded after Gotto's 10
th strikeout of the contest closes the bottom of the sixth.
The Orange & Black went down in order in the seventh to keep the score at 2-1. BVU recorded three hits in the bottom of the seventh but stranded two runners and scored no runs to send the game to the eighth.
Wartburg started the top half with singles from
Max Goodhue and
Zach Walton to put runners on the corners. With two outs,
Keaton Gray stepped to the plate and delivered a three-run shot to make the score 5-1 Knights.
Aaron Eybers replaced Gotto on the mound to begin the bottom half of the eighth and got through the inning with just one hit allowed.
The Knights couldn't add any runs in the ninth and the score was 5-1 heading to the final frame. Eybers finished the contest with two strikeouts and closed the ninth inning to secure a 5-1 victory to start the three-game series.
Game Leaders
Gotto earned the win on the mound after a seven inning and 10 strikeout performance. The lefty now has a record of 5-2 through eight starts this season. The senior now owns the strikeout record with a mark of 246 career strikeouts and counting.
At the plate, Gray led the Knights in RBI with three after his eighth inning homerun. The homer marked his second of the season and was the sophomore's only hit of the contest.
Jurgensen drove in the other two RBI and hit one of the Knights' two doubles of the game. Goodhue, Walton, and Andrews all had multi-hit games to help lead the offense.
The Knights are now 19-11 overall and 9-4 in American Rivers Conference play.
Next Time Out
The Orange & Black will continue the series tomorrow with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. in Storm Lake.
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