KWU Sports Information
Kansas Wesleyan's resilience and perseverance on the softball field is finally paying dividends.
The Coyotes ran their winning streak to six games with a Kansas Conference sweep of McPherson (4-0 and 5-2) on Tuesday afternoon at Bill Burke Park. They improved to 16-19 overall and are currently sixth in the conference standings at 11-7. The top eight teams at the end of the regular season qualify for the postseason tournament.
"Honestly they just stuck with it," first-year coach Ryan Cooper said afterwards. "They easily could have given up a month ago. It's a process, you can always get better. They've done that and things are finally dropping our way and we're getting some good results out of it."
Miranda Fogal (JR/Monticello, Ill.) (10-7) continued her recent dominance in the circle by pitching a three-hit shutout while striking out 13 in the opener. All three McPherson hits were singles, two of the infield variety. Jewell Henry (SR/Kingston, Okla.) (4-6) pitched five strong innings and Danika Utajara (JR/Lovington, N.M.) got the save in the second game.
Fogal was named the KCAC's Pitcher of the Week on Monday after notching three victories and a save last week. Tuesday she struck out five batters in a row and nine of 10 from the second through fourth innings and walked just three.
"When she came here, she really only had a fastball," Cooper said of Fogal, a transfer from Spoon River College (Ill.). "Our pitching staff has done a really good job of developing three pitches so she doesn't just have a fastball. Early in the year that's what she threw, a lot. Now she's got a curveball and mixes in a changeup, just developing and sticking with it."
Wesleyan scored twice in the first inning on Tiffani Alaniz (FR/Sebastian, Texas)'s RBI double that drove in Josie Buhr (JR/Buffalo, N.D.). Mia Hernandez (SO/Hanford, Calif.), who had doubled ahead of Alaniz, scored on a wild pitch.
The Coyotes added two more runs in the third on Hernandez's single that drove in Buhr and Alaniz's RBI single that scored Jocelyn Alcala (JR/Fullerton, Calif.).
KWU finished with six hits, Hernandez and Alaniz with two apiece. Alaniz drove in two and Buhr scored twice.
Henry did her best Harry Houdini imitation in the nightcap by escaping two bases loaded jams unscathed. McPherson loaded the bases with no outs in the third inning but Henry wiggled her way out with a strikeout, infield pop-up and fly ball out to right field.
The Bulldogs loaded the bases again in the fifth, this time with one out, but a fielder's choice that saw third baseman Jenna Soule (SO/Overland Park, Kan.) throw out a baserunner at home plate and ground out to Henry ended the threat.
A solo home run and single leading off the sixth ended Jewell's day. Utajara entered and retired the first three batters she faced then retired McPherson in order in the seventh.
The Coyotes took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on Alcala's RBI single that scored Buhr and Alaniz's double that brought in Alcala.
After McPherson scored a run in the second KWU scored three in the fifth. Buhr singled in Soule, Alcala's double scored Buhr and Hernandez's sacrifice fly ball to center scored Alcala.
Buhr led KWU's eight-hit attack with three hits while Alcala had two. Buhr and Alcala each scored twice and Alcala had two RBI.
"Our pitching's been good all year, but the hitting wasn't coming through," Cooper said. "But the last few weeks we've had timely hitting, we've gotten baserunners on that we haven't in the past. We're scoring five, six, seven instead of one, two, three."
The Coyotes play a doubleheader against archrival Bethany starting at 1 p.m. Saturday in Lindsborg in their next outing. They close the regular season with home doubleheaders against Saint Mary (April 19) and Friends (April 22).
The KCAC tournament is May 3-5 in Great Bend.