After Friday's 8-4 loss to Oklahoma Wesleyan, the Kansas Wesleyan Baseball team needed a pick-me-up to get back on track. The Coyotes got just that.
The Coyotes hit six homers and had 11 total extra base hits in Saturday's opener of the doubleheader between the teams to power to a 15-8 win, then won a defensive battle against one of the top hurlers in the KCAC for a 4-2 win in the second game to complete the sweep.
The doubleheader sweep also gives the Coyotes a 2-1 win in the series between the teams.
In the first game the Coyotes, fell behind early as OKWU put four runs on the board in the top of the first inning.
It took until the second inning for the Coyotes to get on the board. Logan Arndt singled and then scored on Chase Aurand's single up the middle.
Wesleyan got the offense untracked in the third. Carter Allen led off the inning with a double and then scored on Garrett Garfield's double. Fernando Ruvalcaba then homered and Chris Finocchario followed hitting the first of his three homers of the day. The Coyotes weren't done yet as Arndt doubled, Aurand walked and Niko Olson drove them in with a double to put the Coyotes up 7-4.
OKWU got within a run in the fourth, but the Coyotes got three back in the bottom of the frame. Ruvalcaba walked and Finocchario launched his second homer of the day, this time a 2-run shot. Two batters later Arndt joined the long ball party to make it 10-6 Coyotes.
Garfield doubled home a run in the fifth to make it 11-6. Aurand homered in the sixth to extend the lead.
In the seventh Garfield was hit by a pitch and Ruvalcaba walked setting up Finocchario's 3-run homer to put the Coyotes up 15-6.
OKWU got single runs in the eighth and ninth innings but could not rally.
Allen had four hits for the Coyotes, Arndt and Finocchario had three each. Finocchario just missed the homerun cycle, needing a grand slam to complete the feat. He drove in six runs.
Aidan Henderson got the win for the Coyotes pitching four innings of relief of Thalen Wright.
In the second game, the Coyotes faced OKWU's Ashton Luera, one of the top pitchers in the conference, but did not back down.
KWU jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on homers by Allen and Ruvalcaba.
OKWU was able to tie things up in the top of the third inning, but the Coyotes grabbed the lead right back in the bottom of the inning as Allen homered for the second time in the game to make it 3-2 Coyotes.
KWU added an all important insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning as Arndt led off the inning with a single, followed by a hit by Dale. KWU's run would score on a wild pitch.
KWU's timely hitting counteracted Luera striking out 11 for OKWU in the game.
Kayden Shivers would get the win for the Coyotes, pitching an inning and two thirds of relief of starter Wil Yamka. He held OKWU without a hit. Riley Gwin got the save tossing two scoreless innings and striking out three.
Allen had two of KWU's seven hits.
KWU is back in action on Tuesday taking on Avila at 2 p.m. in Kansas City in a rescheduled game to complete the series that was postponed two weeks ago due to weather.