LEAVENWORTH – Kansas Wesleyan Baseball picked up its eighth consecutive win as the Coyotes swept both ends of Saturday’s doubleheader with Saint Mary to claim a sweep in the season series with the Spires.
KWU won the first game 11-1 on the run rule in seven innings.
Leading 3-1 heading to the fourth inning, the Coyotes exploded for seven runs to take the commanding lead en route to the 11-1 win.
KWU was on the board first in the top of the first as William Dryburgh (SO/St. Joseph, Mo.) scored on a single by Trey Lopez (SR/Burlington, Wash.) after reaching on a hit by pitch.
The Coyotes added two more in the third as Dryburgh led off with a single, Haydn Brown (SR/Gardnerville, Nev.) walked and later in the inning, Dryburgh scored on a Saint Mary throwing error and Tyler Triano (SO/Hollister, Calif.) would drive in the second run of the frame with a double.
After Saint Mary scored in the third, the Coyotes blew the game open with seven runs in the fourth. Austin Cross (JR/Montgomery, Texas) reached on an error to open the inning, and Dryburgh would bring in Cross with a single, that also plated Jakeub Scheid (FR/Bradenton, Fla.). Brown then singled to score Dryburgh, Lopez doubled home Brown, Josh Sandoval (SR/Glendale, Ariz.) reached on an error that yielded a run and Dalton Bishop (JR/Colorado Springs, Colo.) hit a 2-run homer for the Coyotes.
Lopez drove in a run in the fifth with a sacrifice fly to put the Coyotes up 11-1.
Oscar Sanchez (JR/Celina, Texas) was solid on the bump for the Coyotes, tossing a complete game on 85 pitches, allowing one run, which was unearned, on three hits while striking out six. KWU had 10 hits in the game with three players with two each.
In the series finale, the Coyotes held off a late charge from Saint Mary in the bottom of the sixth for the 8-6 win.
The Coyotes jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning as Sandoval and Triano homered back-to-back.
The long ball was back in the third inning as Sisipako Vehikite (JR/Santa Clara, Calif.) homer to open the inning, then Brown would score on a four-base error by the Saint Mary center fielder.
The Spires got two runs back in the bottom of the third, and the game was scoreless until the fifth when Brown tripled then scored on Sandoval’s double.
The two runs in the sixth proved to be decisive for the Coyotes in the win. Scheid singled, Vehikite walked, Dryburgh was hit by a pitch to load the bases. A walk to Brown forced in a run and Lopez had a sacrifice fly for the second run of the inning.
Saint Mary took advantage of a pair of KWU errors in the sixth to score four runs.
KWU scored a run in the seventh as Vehikite singled to drive in Bishop.
Branden Voytko (JR/El Paso, Texas) would come on to pitch the seventh for his seventh save of the season.
Kaden Sitzman (SR/McCook, Neb.) got the win, going five and two-thirds allowing six runs, three earned, on six hits with four strikeouts.
Lopez, Sandoval and Vehikite had two hits each for the Coyotes.
KWU is back in action on Tuesday for a non-conference game with Hastings in Hastings, Neb., before hosting a weekend series with the Bethany Swedes on Saturday and Sunday at Dean Evans Stadium.
