Nothing was going right for the 10th-ranked Kansas Wesleyan Baseball team in the first inning of Thursday's game with the Southwestern College Moundbuilders.
The rest of the game however, things went just fine.
After giving up seven runs and committing three errors in the first inning, the Coyotes settled in and cruised to an 18-8 run-rule shortened win over the Moundbuilders at Dean Evans Stadium.
Southwestern opened the game with a leadoff homer, and back-to-back errors and a walk loaded the bases before a grand slam made it 5-0. The Moundbuilders put two runners on and then a double added two runs to make it 7-0 after a half inning.
The Coyotes got one on the board in the bottom of the inning as Niko Olson and Carter Allen singled to lead off the inning and Olson would later score on Chris Finocchario's sacrifice fly.
In the third, the Coyotes got another run on the board as Olson reached on an error and then scored on Allen's sacrifice fly.
Wesleyan added another in the fourth as Joe Finder led off the inning with a double and then scored on a single by Tyler Nordyke.
Meanwhile, starting pitcher Shaw Lee settled in and held Southwestern to one hit the rest of his outing, exiting with two outs in the sixth inning. Lee went five and two-thirds allowing six hits - five in the first inning, and seven runs - only one earned, with two walks and five strikeouts.
The Coyotes continued the comeback in the fifth as Allen singled to start the inning and then Ruvalcaba launched a ball into the stratosphere for a 2-run homer to make it 7-5.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Coyotes took control putting nine on the board. Nordyke led off the inning reaching on a single and Olson walked to set up Allen's 3-run homer. Ruvalcaba and Blake Dale walked and Finder followed with another 3-run homer.
Logan Arndt and Zac Goldenberg then walked putting two on for Nordyke who doubled in two runs. Allen singled in his second at bat of the inning and Ruvalcaba walked for the second time in the inning to lead the bases and Finocchario walked to force in a run to make it 14-7.
Southwestern got a run on a homer in the top of the seventh before the Coyotes ended it in the bottom of the inning.
Finder singled Arndt followed with a 2-run homer to make it 16-8. Nordyke was hit by a pitch and stole second base. Allen then reached on an error and Nordyke scored on the play. Ruvalcaba walked again and Finocchario doubled to bring in the game-ending run.
Allen had four hits and drove in four runs in addition to stealing four bases in the game. Finder added four hits and drove in three and Nordyke had three hits and drove in three. Ruvalcaba walked three times in the game.
Riley Gwin got the win in relief, going an inning and a third, allowing one run on one hit.