KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The Kansas Wesleyan softball team was back in action on Friday, taking on Baker, who received votes in the NAIA Top 25 poll, at Kansas City Kansas Community College. The Coyotes would pick up a key sweep of the Wildcats to improve to 4-2 on the season.
The Coyotes captured the opener 5-4, and won a darkness-shortened 8-7 decision in the second game.
In the opener, the Coyotes jumped out to a 4-0 in the first. Lauren Blue (SR/Arlington, Texas) walked, Jessica Vegely (SR/Mariposa, Calif.) reacoed on and error and Kiana Turner (SO/Quapaw, Okla.) drove in the first run of the frame. Elizabeth Willison (FR/Moore, Okla.) drove in the second run of the inning with a hit. Miranda Guerrero (SO/Oxnard, Calif.) drove in a run with a single and Carmen Angulo (JR/Long Beach, Calif.) did the same.
Baker got two back in the bottom of the third, but in the fourth the Coyotes got on the board again on Turner's RBI double that scored Vegely who reached on a fielder's choice.
The Wildcats got two more in the fourth, but the Coyotes would silence the Baker bats from there, allowing just one hit the rest of the way.
Turner had two of KWU's six hits and drove in two. Angulo went the distance in the circle allowing four runs on 10 hits with two strikeouts.
The Coyotes again jumped out to a 4-0 lead to start the nightcap, which was stopped after the fifth inning, when the game became official due to darkness.
Blue led off with a walk and Vegely reached on an error that allowed Blue to score. A hit by pitch and a walk loaded the bases and Brianna McGinnis (JR/Tucson, Ariz.) brought in a run when she was hit by a pitch. Bailey Rivas (FR/West Covina, Calif.) singled home a run and Guerrero drove in a run on a fielder's choice.
The Coyotes took advantage of another Baker error, as Vegely reached on the miscue setting up McGinnis' 2-run double making it 6-0 Coyotes.
McGinnis singled to start the Coyote fourth and scored on another Baker error. The Wildcats would get out of the inning though on a triple play.
Baker scored five times in the fourth, taking advantage of three KWU errors to make it a close game at 7-5.
Blue reached to start the fifth on a single and then scored a huge insurance run, what turned out to be the deciding run on Turner's double.
Baker tried to rally in the fifth as the field was covered in darkness. The Wildcats scored twice but could not get the game-tying run across.
With the lack of lights at the field, the game was called after becoming official after the fifth.
Angulo, who pitched two innings of relief was credited with the win. McGinnis and Rivas had two hits each. McGinnis drove in three.
The Coyotes will be back in action on Sunday, heading back to the Genesis Sports Complex in Goddard for a doubleheader with Mount Marty starting at 1 p.m., in the softball team's latest edition of home games on the road.
--kwucoyotes.com--