STERLING, Kan. - After a delay for rain and lightning in the fifth inning, the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes scored 13 unanswered runs and turned a 6-4 deficit to a 17-6 victory on Friday in the series opener against Sterling.
The Coyotes had two runners in the fifth thanks to hits by Chris Finocchario and Blake Dale before the rain and lightning came, delaying the game. Once things resumed, Logan Arndt singled to load the bases and Chase Aurand quickly unloaded them with a grand slam to put the Coyotes up 8-6.
Tyler Nordyke scored on a wild pitch in the inning and Fernando Ruvalcaba drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to make it 10-6 Coyotes.
The score stayed the same until the ninth when the Coyotes put seven on the board. Logan Arndt drove in the first run with a double that scored Finocchario who singled earlier in the inning. Nordyke then walked with the bases loaded to bring in a run. Niko Olson followed with a 2-run single and Carter Allen hit a 3-run homer to put the Coyotes up 17-6.
Sterling scored the first run of the game on a bases loaded walk in the first and added two more runs in the second to take a 3-0 lead.
Wesleyan scored four runs in the third to take a 4-3 lead. Nordyke singled, Olson walked and then Ruvalcaba hit a 3-run homer. Finocchario then walked and later scored on a double by Blake Dale.
Sterling tied it in the bottom half of the frame and then scored twice in the fourth to take a 6-4 lead before the Coyotes came alive in the fifth.
Connor Rhorer got the win for the Coyotes going three and a third innings allowing only two hits. Starter Thalen Wright went three and two-thirds allowing six runs, four earned on eight hits while recording seven strikeouts. Riley Gwin pitched the final two innings allowing one hit and striking out four.
Finocchario and Arndt had three hits each for the Coyotes. Ruvalcaba and Aurand drove in four runs each.