LINDSBORG - It took three days longer than scheduled, but the Kansas Wesleyan Softball team completed the task at hand. The Coyotes completed the sweep of the Bethany College Swedes on Friday afternoon, winning the suspended second game 3-0 to finish the regular season.
KWU won the first game 8-7 on Tuesday, and had gotten to the fifth inning of the second game when inclement weather hit the area and forced the suspension of the second game to Friday afternoon.
Way back on Tuesday, the Coyotes fell behind early in the opening game as Bethany scored twice in the bottom of the first. The Coyotes then got right back to work scoring five in the top of the second to pull ahead.
Trenity Miller led off the inning with a walk and Briannah Kutschkau followed with a walk. Elli Han then drove in a run with a single, and Brooklyn Lange followed with a 2-run double. Shiloh Johnson then brought in a run with a groundout, and later in the inning Jenna Soule doubled to score Josie Buhr.
Bethany got one back in the bottom of the frame, and scored twice in the third to even things at 5-5.
The Swedes took a 6-5 lead in the fourth, but the Coyotes bounced right back. Keira Hammen singled to start the inning, Kutschkau was hit by a pitch and Han followed with a 2-run double to put the Coyotes up 7-6. Lange added a run with an RBI groundout.
Bethany got within a run at 8-7 in the bottom of the fifth.
The Swedes put the leadoff batter on base in the bottom of the seventh, but could not push the run across as a bad bunt attempt on a sacrifice try went for an out, a fielder's choice erased the base runner going to second and a strikeout ended it in favor of the Coyotes.
Han led the Coyotes with three hits and drove in three runs. Lange drove in three as well. Bella Allen got the win for the Coyotes, tossing a complete game allowing five earned runs on nine hits.
The second game started on Tuesday, but ended on Friday after being suspended in the fifth.
It was a pitchers duel between the teams as the Coyotes sent Alli Mickelsen into the circle for the game.
It was scoreless in the bottom of the fifth when the weather came, stopping the game as Bethany had a runner on with no one out. When things resumed the Coyotes got a quick out on a sacrifice bunt, then a pop out and a strikeout ended the inning.
The Coyotes popped into the lead in the sixth. Soule walked, and Miller followed with a walk. Kutschkau knocked both in with a double to make it 2-0 Coyotes.
Wesleyan added a much needed insurance run in the seventh. Grace Pierce led off the inning with a walk and pinch runner Kylar Smith scored on Lange's pinch hit single.
Bethany put two on in the bottom of the seventh, gut the Coyotes came through as Mickelsen got a strikeout to end it.
Mickelsen was again phenomenal in the circle, scattering three hits while striking out 10 in the complete game performance. Hailey Summers had two hits for the Coyotes in the game.