KWU Athletics
It took Kansas Wesleyan's hitters a while to get going but once they did there was no stopping them.
Handcuffed by Oklahoma Wesleyan pitcher Kellen Brothers in a 3-1 loss in the first game of their Kansas Conference doubleheader Friday at Dean Evans Stadium the Coyotes' offense came alive in the fifth and sixth innings of the nightcap in a 10-3 victory.
KWU (9-5 KCAC, 21-17 overall) had four hits in the opener against Brothers but totaled 13 in the second game against four OKWU pitchers.
"Hitting's contagious both ways," coach Bill Neale said. "It's contagious good, it's contagious bad. Hopefully we can just keep feeding off each other."
The Coyotes took a 2-1 lead in the second inning of the second game on Jalen Jones (SO/Katy, Texas)' RBI triple that scored Kevin Esquilin Cruz (JR/Trujilo Alto, Puerto Rico). Reece Bishop (SO/Colorado Springs, Colo.)'s double one out later brought in Jones.
OKWU (6-8, 20-11) went back on top 3-2 with two runs in the top of the fifth inning before the Coyotes broke it open with five runs in the bottom of the fifth. Josh Sandoval (SR/Glendale, Ariz.) launched a two-run homer to right that scored Bishop ahead of him, Dustin Sipe (JR/Aztec, N.M.) followed with an RBI single that scored William Dryburgh (SR/St. Joseph, Mo.), and Diego Fisher (JR/Hollister, Calif.) scored Haydn Brown (SR/Gardnerville, Nev.) with a single. Jones' sacrifice fly scored Sipe with the fifth run.
Dryburgh's single drove in Bishop with the first of three runs in the sixth inning and Brown followed with a two-run single that scored Bishop and Sandoval.
"We were grinding out some good at-bats early on, we just didn't have anything to show for it," Neale said. "We got (OKWU starter Evan Foor's) pitch count up, they had to go to the bullpen and once we got to the bullpen, we definitely did some damage.
"We hit the big five spot then the three after that and it helps you out. Makes you pitch a little looser, makes you play defense a little looser."
Dryburgh, Sipe, Jones, Bishop and Sandoval had two hits each. Brown, Jones and Sandoval drove two apiece and Dryburgh scored twice.
KWU starter Branden Voytko (JR/El Paso, Texas) (6-1) was the winning pitcher allowing three runs on four hits in five innings with five strikeouts, no walks and three hit batters. Jansen Lublin (JR/San Diego, Calif.) and KT Gearlds (JR/Ingram, Texas) closed it out with a combined two shutout innings.
"Voytko's been doing that for the last three or four weeks," Neale said. "Jansen came in and got the former the KCAC Player of the Year (Cody Muncy) and we gave the ball to KT and he did a great job.
The first game was a duel between Brothers and KWU starter Trent Dewyer (JR/Albuquerque, N.M.) (3-4). Dewyer was solid allowing two runs on two hits, six strikeouts and walks in the first six innings. Oscar Sanchez (JR/Celina, Texas) pitched the last three innings allowing a run on two hits with six strikeouts and one walk.
"Dewyer bounced back from his Friends' outing and they just grinded with their at-bats and got his pitch count up," Neale said. "Oscar came in and did a good job."
Brothers went the distance for OKWU allowing five hits with 13 strikeouts and three walks. The Coyotes' run came on Brown's homer to right in the third inning. Dryburgh, Sipe and Equilin Cruz each had singles.
"He kept us off balance," Neale said of Brothers. "He has good velocity and throws a really slow breaking ball that we didn't adjust to very well. They were smart, they had a good game plan pitching in windy conditions. They were pitching in on righties (right-handed hitters), they were staying well away from lefties. We just couldn't get it going."
The three-game series concludes with a single game Saturday starting at 10 a.m. at Evans Stadium. Neale said Spencer Foley (JR/Lancaster, Calif.) (3-0) will get the start for KWU.