Kansas Wesleyan Baseball opened the home portion of the season hosting the Kansas Wesleyan Coyote Classic on Saturday at Dean Evans Stadium and the newly constructed Pestinger Family Field.
The Coyotes split their two games on Saturday defeating Science and Arts of Oklahoma 6-3, but then losing to Doane 13-5.
In the game with USAO, the Droves scored first in the top of the first inning as Gage Ninness led off with a single and later scored on Christian Morro's single. After Morro was picked off, Coyote started Nathan Righi got back to back strikeouts to end the inning.
In the bottom of the first, the Coyotes put three on the board. Jacob Williamson walked and Tyler Favretto was hit by a pitch. After a strikeout, Garrett Garfield crushed a ball out to left center for a 3-run shot to put the Coyotes up 3-1.
In the third, the Coyotes added a run as Williamson led off with a single, followed by a single by Favretto. Carter Allen's sacrifice fly brought home the run for the Coyotes.
USAO put two runs on the board in the fourth to make it a one-run game, but just like that the Coyotes had an answer in the bottom half. Coulson Riggs walked, Alex Garcia walked and Williamson would single to bring in a run to make it 5-3.
USAO threatened in the fifth, as the Drovers led off the inning with a hit batter, then an error on a fielder's choice gave them runners on the corners with nobody out. Never feat said Righi, who got a pop out and two strikeouts to end the inning without a run scoring.
Garfield gave the Coyotes an insurance run in the fifth with his second homer of the game, almost to the exact same spot at the first one, making it 6-3.
USAO threatened again in the sixth with a leadoff double, but could not score. Again in the seventh, the Drovers had a leadoff batter aboard, but the Coyotes would close the door and get the win.
Garfield was 2 of 3 with four RBI in the game, while Williamson provided two hits. Nathan Righi got the win going five innings allowing three runs on four hits while striking out seven. Ritter Steinmann picked up the save in two innings, allowing two hits.
Things were going just fine in the Doane game for the Coyotes, until they weren't.
Wesleyan had jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first on Garfield's third homer of the day, this one off the top of the Dean Evans Stadium scoreboard, and added three more runs in the third on Allen's 3-run homer, but then things didn't go so great.
Doane put two runners on to start the fourth, who then advanced on a failed pick error and then another Coyote error brought in the first run. A single loaded the bases, but the Coyotes got an out on a fielder's choice. The Tigers then added another run on a double. After a strikeout, another KWU error allowed two runs to score and Doane to take a 7-5 lead.
Doane led off the fifth with a homer that sparked another five-run rally for the Tigers to take a 12-5 lead.
Doane added one more run in the seventh for the 13-5 difference.
Joe Finder was the lone Coyote in the game with more than one hit. Allen drove in three and Garfield two. Brett Maddock suffered the loss allowing 10 runs, but only two earned, on nine hits in four and a third innings. The Coyotes did not issue a walk in the game.