FORSYTH, Mo. - Kansas Wesleyan Baseball started defense of the KCAC Championship on Friday as the Coyotes faced Evangel University at Forsyth High School. The Coyotes saw the bats come alive for a 16-4 rout of the Valor.
The game was moved from Springfield due to weather concerns. Mother Nature almost won the game as well, as the original 1 p.m. start time was pushed back to a 4:15 start due to weather conditions.
Evangel got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning scoring a run after the Coyotes had committed an error earlier in the inning.
The Valor held the lead until the third inning when Alex Garcia led off the frame with a walk and then Jacob Williamson hit the first of two home runs on the day to put the Coyotes up 2-1.
Wesleyan blew the game open in the fourth. Drew Wardell singled, two batters later Blake Dale singled, and then two batters after that Williamson crushed his second homer of the day, a 3-run shot to put the Coyotes up 5-1.
KWU wasn't done yet in the inning. Tyler Favretto singled and Garrett Garfield followed with a 2-run blast to make it 7-1.
Garcia added a run for the Coyotes in the fifth bringing home Coulson Riggs with a sacrifice fly.
Evangel got two back in the fifth, but the Coyotes responded in the top of the sixth, plating a run without a hit thanks to four walks and a hit by pitch.
The Valor got one back in the sixth, but the Coyotes had an answer with four in the seventh. Williamson walked, as did Favretto. Garfield was hit by a pitch to load the bases ahead of Fernando Ruvalcaba reaching on an error to bring in the first run. Carter Allen followed with an RBI single and Riggs plated two more with a single through the middle to make it 13-4.
The Coyotes put two on in the ninth as Eric Romero walked and Allen was hit to set up Drew Wardell's 3-run homer to make it 16-4.
Brett Maddock was again stellar on the hill for the Coyotes, allowing four runs, two earned, on seven hits while striking out six. Hunter Blea pitched two hitless innings with three strikeouts.
Riggs had three hits and drove in three for the Coyotes. Williamson, Favretto Garfield and Wardell had two hits each. Williamson drove in five runs.