Kansas Wesleyan’s regular season softball finale didn’t go according to plans as the Coyotes were swept by the Friends Falcons on Saturday at Salina South High School. But, there was plenty of excitement in both games that came down to the wire.

Friends picked up a 5-3 win in a marathon 10-inning game in the first game, and then held on for a 6-4 win under the newly installed lights at the South High fields.

Fast forward to the seventh inning of the first game as the Coyotes trailed 2-0 heading to the last. The Coyotes rode the momentum of a big double play to get out of a jam in the top of the inning.

Wesleyan was down to its final out when Mia Hernandez (SO/Hanford, Calif.) singled and Tiffani Alaniz (FR/Sebastian, Texas) walked sending the game-winning run to the plate in Bailey Rivas (SR/La Puente, Calif.). The senior clubbed a 2-run double to center, scoring both pinch runners, Ollevia Lowe and Kya Butler (FR/Newton, Iowa) to tie things up at 2-2.

Neither team scored in the eighth and ninth innings, despite moving the tie-breaker runner to third in each frame.

Friends grabbed the lead in the 10th inning with three runs, but the Coyotes tried to rally in the bottom of the inning. Sydnee Fordham (FR/Thornton, Colo.) singled, scoring tie-breaker runner Hernandez, but the Coyotes couldn’t get another run across in the game.

Miranda Fogal (JR/Monticello, Ill.) pitched a complete game for the Coyotes in the loss, throwing 172 pitches, and striking out 10, but issued nine walks.

Friends took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the second game, but the Coyotes grabbed the lead back when Destiny Hackney (SO/Thornton, Colo.) hit a 2-run homer to score Rivas in the second pushing the Coyotes in the ead 2-1.

The Falcons answered back with a 3-run homer in the top of the third, and added two more runs in the fifth to take a 6-2 lead.

The Coyotes got one on the board in the fifth when Jenna Soule (SO/Overland Park, Kan.) singled to bring in Fordham.

Wesleyan got another run on the board in the sixth on Fordham’s RBI single that scored Hernandez who led off the inning with a walk.

Fordham led the Coyotes with two hits.

Wesleyan now awaits the KCAC tournament which begins on May 3 at Great Bend Sports Complex in Great Bend. KWU will be the No. 6 seed in the tournament.