YORK, Neb. – The York College Panthers used a pair of big innings to pull away from the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes and take a 12-4 victory on Tuesday at Leavitt Stadium.
A 2-run homer by York in the bottom of the first inning got the Panthers on the board.
Haydn Brown (SR/Gardnerville, Nev.) homered for the Coyotes to lead off the third inning, an opposite field shot for his 14th homer of the season getting the Coyotes on the board, making it 2-1.
York broke the game open with four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning on a 2-run double and a 2-run single, taking a 6-1 lead.
Wesleyan answered back in the top of the fifth with two runs. Brown walked and Dustin Sipe (JR/Aztec, N.M.) was hit by a pitch to put two on for the Coyotes. Josh Sandoval (SR/Glendale, Ariz.) singled home the first run with a hit to right, and Jalen Jones (SO/Katy, Texas) drove in the second run of the frame with a single down the line in left.
York got a 3-run homer in the bottom of the inning to extend its lead to 9-3.
Both teams scored in the seventh, the Coyotes on a homer by Zach Olson (SO/Red, Alberta), and York on an RBI double and sacrifice fly.
York added one more in the eighth.
Brown had a solid day at the plate for the Coyotes, going 4-for-4 with a walk and a RBI. Sandoval had three hits, two of them doubles, Kevin Esquilin Cruz (JR/Trujilo Alto, Puerto Rico) had two hits, one a double, and Olson had two hits as well, a double and a homer as KWU had 12 hits in the game, but left 13 runners on base.
Jansen Lublin (JR/San Diego, Calif.) suffered the loss allowing six runs on seven hits in three and a third innings. Cayden Diccion (JR/Piedmont, Calif.) (0.2 innings), Cesar Rodriguez (SO/Houston, Texas) (0.2), KT Gearlds (JR/Ingram, Texas) (1.1) and Nathaniel Beers (JR/Port Orchard, Wash.) (2.0), all made appearances for the Coyotes.
KWU has two pivotal weekend series remaining on the schedule. The Coyotes are at Bethany this Friday and Saturday, and finish the regular season next weekend at No. 22 ranked Tabor.