KWU Athletics
GREAT BEND – Kansas Wesleyan dropped its first game of the KCAC Tournament on Friday to the Tabor Bluejays by a 5-3 score at the Great Bend Sports Complex.
It was the fourth straight meeting between the teams, who closed out the regular season facing each other in a three-game series, swept by the Coyotes, to earn KWU's spot as the No. 6 seed in the tournament.
The Coyotes got on the board in the first inning when Kevin Esquilin Cruz (JR/Trujilo Alto, Puerto Rico) singled then scored on Dustin Sipe (JR/Aztec, N.M.)'s sacrifice fly.
Sipe led off the fourth for the Coyotes with a double and then scored on Jarrett Gable (JR/Colleyville, Texas)'s RBI single to left making it 2-0 in favor of the Coyotes.
William Dryburgh (SR/St. Joseph, Mo.) led off the fifth inning with a single, followed by a walk to Esquilin Cruz. Two batters later Sipe singled to score Dryburgh to make it 3-0.
Tabor got two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning on back to back bases loaded walks.
The Bluejays took the lead in the bottom of the eighth, loading the bases before a 3-run double would give the Bluejays the lead.
Dryburgh had three of KWU's nine hits in the game. Sipe had two.
The Coyotes are back in action on Saturday, taking on Oklahoma Wesleyan in an elimination game at 1 p.m. at Great Bend Sports Complex. OKWU lost to top-seeded Ottawa on a walk-off in the bottom of the ninth 3-2 on Friday.