BARTLESVILLE, Okla. - The Kansas Wesleyan Softball Coyotes are playing some ball as of late. The Coyotes used some late inning heroics in both games of Saturday's doubleheader with (RV) Oklahoma Wesleyan to come away with a sweep of the Eagles 6-5 and 5-4.
The victories extended Kansas Wesleyan's winning streak to seven games and pushes KWU's record over .500 for the first time this season at 15-14 and KWU improved to 10-6 in the KCAC.
In the opener the Coyotes got two runs in the top of the seventh to break a 4-4 tie and thwarted an Oklahoma Wesleyan rally in the bottom of the seventh for the win.
In was a two-out rally for the Coyotes in the seventh as Elli Han reached on an error to extend the inning and then scored on a hit by Kendell Wilcox to give KWU the lead. Keira Hammen then walked and MacKenzie Vela knocked in the eventual game-winning run with a single.
OKWU got a homer in the bottom of the seventh to get within a run then put two runners on with a double and a walk, but the Coyotes ended it with a lineout to center field.
KWU took a 1-0 lead in the first as Vela singled to bring in Brooklyn Lange who led off the game with a double. OKWU tied it in the bottom of the inning then took a 2-1 lead in the second.
Lange led off the third with a triple and then scored on Han's sacrifice fly to tie things up. Hammen then homered to give the Coyotes a 3-2 lead.
OKWU took the lead back in the third with two runs and in the fifth the Coyotes tied things up again on a two-out rally. Han, Wilcox and Hammen all singled, the last yielding a run to tie things up at 4-4.
The Coyotes held off rallies by the Eagles in the fifth and sixth innings before taking the lead in the seventh.
Alli Mickelsen got the win for the Coyotes in relief, pitching the final three innings, holding OKWU to one run on five hits. Bella Allen went four innings allowing four runs on five hits and struck out four.
The Coyotes scored a run in each of the first two innings to lead 2-0 in the second game. Hammen singled in the first to bring home Lange who got a hit to start the game. Lange then brought home Madison Geer in the second after Geer led off the inning with a hit.
KWU held the lead until the fifth when OKWU put three on the board to take a 3-2 lead.
In the seventh, the Coyotes again put the rally caps on. Lange led off the inning with a single, moved up on Han's sacrifice bunt then scored on Hammen's single. Vela followed with a single to load the bases and Geer walked to bring in the go-ahead run. Brooklyn Smith then brought in a big insurance run with a sacrifice fly.
OKWU tried its own 2-out rally in the seventh. The Eagles got a double then a RBI single to bring in a run. Another hit put the tying run at third, but a pop up ended it and the Coyotes completed the sweep.
Lange had three hits for the Coyotes while Wilcox and Hammen had two each.
Mickelsen got another win in the circle pitching the final two innings allowing a run on four hits. Starter Addie Herrera went five innings, allowing three runs on seven hits.