Image courtesy of Kansas Wesleyan Athletics
Kansas Wesleyan Baseball, seeded second in the NAIA Opening Round being played at Dean Evans Stadium faced a strong Concordia University (Neb.) team in the first game of the day and the Coyotes came away with a 5-4 win over the Bulldogs.
With the win, the Coyotes moved to 49-7 on the season, setting a new record for wins in a season, surpassing the 48 wins by the 2024 team that reached the NAIA World Series for the first time in program history.
KWU will face top-seeded Johnson (Tenn.) in a winner’s bracket game on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. at Dean Evans Stadium. Johnson beat Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) 20-10 in Monday’s second game. Concordia will face Our Lady of the Lake in an elimination game at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
Concordia took the early 1-0 lead in the second as Jaeden Jordahl and Carson Burnett walked to start the inning and Andrew Fetty was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Jimmy Blumberg drove in the run on a fielder’s choice and the Coyotes were able to hold the Bulldogs off the board as a fielder’s choice and a strikeout ended the inning.
Meanwhile, the Coyote bats struggled against Concordia starter Micah Sweeton, not getting a hit until the fourth inning.
Concordia added another run in the fourth on a bunt single by Layton Rivas to score Burnett to make it 2-0.
The Coyotes got on the board in the bottom of the frame. Garrett Garfield came through, breaking up the no-hitter with a single to third and Fernando Ruvalcaba walked ahead of Chris Finoccharrio’s single that brought home Garfield and got the Coyotes on the board.
The Coyotes took the lead in the fifth thanks to a 3-run homer by Niko Olson, a line drive shot out to center. Logan Arndt singled and Zac Goldenberg walked ahead of Olson’s homer to put the Coyotes up 4-2.
Concordia got within a run on Jordahl’s sacrifice fly in the seventh to make it 4-3.
The Coyotes got an all-important insurance run in the bottom of the inning as Garfield singled to score courtesy runner Lakin Franz who was running for Goldenberg after his single earlier in the inning.
The Bulldogs got a run back in the eighth on a Blumberg homer, but could not push additional runs across.
Riley Gwin would strike out the side in the ninth to end it and give the Coyotes the win.
Garfield had two of Wesleyan’s seven hits in the game. Gwin went five and a third innings in relief for the win to improve to 8-1 on the season as a long reliever, and continues to lead the NAIA in appearances, making his 31st of the season today. He struck out nine while holding Concordia to two runs on four hits. Starter Will Yamka went three and two-thirds allowing two runs on one hit with four walks and four strikeouts.
Five different Concordia players had one hit each. Sweeton took the loss in seven innings, allowing five runs on seven hits while striking out 11.
