KWU Athletics
Kansas Wesleyan faced conference-leading Oklahoma Wesleyan on Saturday in the final home doubleheader for the Coyotes this season at Salina South High School. The Coyotes would sweep the doubleheader winning the first game 3-2 and the second 9-7.
The Coyotes are in a tie with McPherson for third place in the KCAC standings, with one series left on Wednesday at Sterling.
The losses pushed Oklahoma Wesleyan into second place in the conference, a game back of Ottawa.
The Coyotes got on the board first in the second inning of the opener. Brianna McGinnis (SR/Tucson, Ariz.) led off with a walk, stole second ahead of a walk to Carmen Angulo (SR/Long Beach, Calif.) and Miranda Guerrero (JR/Oxnard, Calif.) singled up the middle to load the bases. Lauren Blue (SR/Arlington, Texas) drove in the run with a sacrifice fly.
Wesleyan struck again in the fourth. Angulo led off with a single, and but pinch runner Emma Schumacher (FR/Winfield, Kan.) was caught stealing. Guerrero singled and Blue doubled giving the Coyotes two runners on for Jocelyn Alcala (SO/Fullerton, Calif.) to double home both runners making it 3-0.
Oklahoma Wesleyan got two runs in the top of the seventh, but Angulo closed the door with a strikeout to end it securing the 3-2 win.
Guerrero had two of KWU's seven hits. Alcala drove in two. Angulo was masterful in the circle again for the Coyotes allowing two runs on seven hits while striking out nine against no walks.
The Coyotes jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the second game and held off a late push by the Eagles to complete the sweep with a 9-7 win.
KWU scored three times in the first inning on a RBI single by McGinnis that scored Alcala, a wild pitch that allowed Mia Hernandez (FR/Hanford, Calif.) to score and a RBI ground out by Guerrero.
Two more came across in the second for the Coyotes after Destiny Hackney (FR/Thornton, Colo.) walked to open the inning and went to third on Paige Anderson (JR/Lakeville, Minn.)'s ground out, and then scored on Alcala's RBI double. Mia Hernandez followed with a RBI single up the middle.
OKWU got on the board in the third on Baylee Knorr's single. The Coyotes answered right back in the bottom half as Jewell Henry (SO/Kingston, Okla.) doubled into the left field corner and scored on Hackney's single down the line in right field that could not be fielded by the diving right fielder.
The Eagles got two more in the fourth, only to again see the Coyotes respond. Anderson led off with a single and Alcala doubled. Hernandez and Herrera both drove in a run with a ground out.
OKWU scored three times in the top of the fifth to get within two runs at 8-6, but Angulo's double after a Guerrero single yielded a run to give the Coyotes a 9-6 lead.
The Eagles got one run in the sixth.
The Coyotes got OKWU to go out 1-2-3 in the seventh including a foul tip strikeout to end it.
Alcala had three hits to lead the Coyotes. Hernandez and McGinnis had two hits each.
Jewell Henry got the win in the circle for the Coyotes, going four innings plus, allowing six runs on nine hits. Angulo came on in relief and got the save, her first of the season, allowing a run on four hits with six strikeouts in three innings.
The Coyotes wrap the regular season on Wednesday in Sterling. The KCAC tournament is May 4-6 in Great Bend.