KWU Sports Information
Kansas Wesleyan hit five home runs on Sunday to complete the series sweep over the Friends Falcons at Dean Evans Stadium with a 12-2 run-rule win.
Wesleyan's five homers on Sunday gave the Coyotes 13 for the series and 72 for the season, with Jarrett Gable (SR/Colleyville, Texas) leading the team with 13, while Kendall Foster (SR/Prosper, Texs) has 12, Zack Beatty (JR/Maple Park, Ill.) and Haydn Brown (SR/Gardnerville, Nev.) with 11 and Dustin Sipe (SR/Aztec, N.M.) 10.
The victory boosted the Coyotes' record to 27-9 overall and 15-4 in the KCAC, and keeps the Coyotes two games back of conference leader McPherson (17-2) and a half game ahead of Oklahoma Wesleyan (14-4) in the conference standings.
Friends took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first on an RBI single by Niquan Benjamin after Buster Hardman had singled earlier in the inning.
Wesleyan broke it open in the bottom of the third. Diego Solis (SO/El Paso, Texas) led off with a single, and after a fielder's choice on a ball by William Dryburgh (SR/St. Joseph, Mo.), Kendall Foster hit the first of his two homers on the day to center field to give the Coyotes the lead. Dustin Sipe walked, and Haydn Brown followed with an RBI double to right making it 3-1. Zack Beatty then came to the plate and hit a homer to center to make it 5-1 Coyotes through three innings.
Friends got a run on the board in the fourth on Oliver Dunn's sacrifice fly.
The Falcons threatened to score again in the fifth but were held off the board. Sam Engberg reached on a strikeout and throwing error, followed by a single by Dakota Harding. The runners moved up on a sacrifice bunt, and Colton Coats walked to load the bases. However, the Coyotes got out of it with no damage, on a fielder's choice and fly out.
Brown homered for the Coyotes in the bottom of the fifth and later in the frame Cruz Oxford (FR/Peoria, Ariz.) singled home Beatty to make it 7-2 in favor of the Coyotes.
Three hits by Friends in the sixth loaded the bases again for the Falcons, but Harding grounded into an inning-ending double play, keeping the Falcons off the board.
Foster homered for the second time in the game in the bottom of the sixth, also scoring Dryburgh who walked in the inning.
Wesleyan ended it on the run rule in the bottom of the seventh. Gable singled and then scored on Oxford's homer to left. Kevin Esquilin-Cruz (SR/Trujilo Alto, Puerto Rico) singled and then scored on Dryburgh's walk off double to close out the game.
The Coyotes had 14 hits in the game, led by Oxford with three as he finished a triple short of the cycle, driving in three runs. Foster, Brown, and Diego Solis had two hits each for the Coyotes. Foster drove in four runs.
Jarrett Brannen (JR/Bakersfield, Calif.) was spectacular again on the bump for the Coyotes going six innings, allowing two runs while scattering seven hits with six strikeouts and two walks, improving to 9-0 on the season. Ritter Steinmann (SO/Oroville, Calif.) pitched the seventh with a strikeout.
The Coyotes are off until this weekend, heading to Bartlesville, Okla., for a pivotal KCAC series with Oklahoma Wesleyan on Friday and Saturday.