Kansas Wesleyan Softball got to play Saturday's doubleheader with Southwestern College in the friendly confines of the softball field at Salina South High School thanks to Mother Nature.
With rain on Friday and Saturday morning in Winfield, the doubleheader between the teams was shifted to Salina on the artificial turf surface at the South High fields, the home field for the Coyotes.
Playing as the visitor didn't faze the Coyotes who cruised to a 12-0 and 6-1 win against the Moundbuilders.
The first game started with a boom, literally. Hailey Summers crushed the second pitch of the game out of the park to straight-away center field, the ball bouncing off Edward Street that sits approximately 50 feet beyond the outfield fence, and into Jerry Ivey Memorial Park.
Two batters later, the Coyotes got a double by Keira Hammen and a single by Trenity Miller. Brooklyn Lange then knocked a double off the top of the fence to bring in a run. After a walk to Briannah Kutschkau to load the bases, Cadence Mallet singled home two more runs. Elli Han brought in the fifth run of the inning with a ground out.
Jenna Soule doubled in the second followed by Hammen's homer to center field to make it 7-0 Coyotes.
The Coyotes added four more in the third. Mallet singled to start the inning and Han followed with a hit, and an error in right field allowed both runners to move up. Josie Buhr followed with a 2-run double to right center. Summers singled and after a pitching change Soule reached on a RBI fielder's choice that scored Buhr. Soule stole second and after a single by Hammen, scored on Miller's sacrifice fly.
Wesleyan added one more in the top of the fifth when Soule reached on an error, stole second on the play, went to third on a passed ball, then scored on a wild pitch.
In the bottom of the fifth Southwestern got a baserunner past second base for the first time in the game thanks to a single and then a double, but could not push a run across.
Hammen had three of KWU's 14 hits in the game, while Summers, Miller and Mallet had two each. Caitlyn Collier scattered five hits across five innings while striking out seven and not issuing a walk for the win.
In the second game, Soule led off the proceedings with a bunt single and then scored on Miller's RBI ground out. Kutschkau then singled to second base and beat out the throw to bring in another run to make it 2-0 after a half inning.
The Coyotes added a run in the third as Han just missed a homer off the top of the fence that bounced back into play for a double and then scored on Miller's single.
Buhr walked in the fourth and then scored on Soule's 2-out double. Han followed with a RBI single to make it 5-0.
Southwestern got on the board for the first time in the bottom of the fourth inning to make it 5-1 and the score would stay there until the seventh when the Coyotes put one more on the board. Han walked to start the inning, Hammen and Miller singled to load the bases and two batters later Mallet hit one to right that was caught but a run scored on the sacrifice fly.
Han had three hits in the game for the Coyotes, while Soule, Miller and Kutschkau had two each. Alli Mickelsen tossed a complete game for the Coyotes, scattering six hits and allowing just one run while striking out seven and not issuing a walk.
KWU is on the road at McPherson on Wednesday.