After dropping the first game 7-4 with the Saint Mary Spires on Thursday, the Kansas Wesleyan Softball team bounced back and picked up an 8-2 in the second game to split the doubleheader at Salina South High School.
In the opener, Saint Mary pushed out to a 6-0 lead by the fourth inning scoring once in the first, twice in the second, once in the third and two more in the fourth before the Coyotes got on the board.
In the bottom of the fourth, Elli Han led off the Coyote half with a single and three batters later MacKenzie Vela singled. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch then scored on Cadence Mallet's double to make it 6-2.
Saint Mary got a run back in the top of the fifth, but again the Coyotes put together a rally in the bottom of the frame. Pinch hitter Brooklynn Smith led off the inning with a walk and then Morgan Rasmussen scored on Kendell Wilcox's single. Keira Hammen followed with a RBI single to make it 7-4.
The Coyotes could not get a rally going in the sixth or seventh innings as Saint Mary would win the first game.
Lange had two of KWU's seven hits in the game. Bella Allen would take the loss in the circle.
In the second game, Saint Mary again took an early 1-0 lead in the first, but the Coyotes would tie it up in the bottom of the inning. Wilcox started KWU's two-out rally with a double then scored on Hammen's single back through the middle.
The Coyotes put three on the board in the bottom of the second. Smith led off with a walk and went to second on Deja Rubio's sacrifice. Lange later doubled to bring in a run and after a walk to Han, Wilcox singled to bring in two more runs to make it 4-1 Coyotes.
KWU put four on the board in the fourth to extend the lead to 8-1. Lange singled, Han doubled and Wilcox was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Hammen would single to bring in two runs. Wilcox then scored on a wild pitch and after a fielder's choice that did not yield an out, pinch runner Vela scored on another wild pitch.
Saint Mary got a run back in the fifth, but that was all the offense the Spires could manage the rest of the game.
Lange, Wilcox and Hammen all had two hits for the Coyotes, while Wilcox drove in two runs and Hammen three. Freshman Addie Herrera was again stellar in the circle for the Coyotes with a complete game performance allowing two runs on five hits while striking out seven, improving to 7-2 on the season.