KWU Sports Information
Not much is slowing Kansas Wesleyan's baseball juggernaut these days.
The Coyotes swept a doubleheader from Kansas Conference archrival Bethany 12-2 and 12-4 Saturday afternoon at Dean Evans Stadium. They also throttled the Swedes 14-4 Friday, have won 10 in a row, 16 of their last 17 and are 16-5 on the season, 4-0 in conference play.
KWU outscored the Swedes 38-10, had 35 hits and committed just two errors during the three-game series. They Coyotes have had double-digit run totals in 14 of their last 16 games and the pitching staff has limited opponents to four or fewer runs in seven of the last nine games.
"We've had success and want to keep it going," coach Bill Neale said after Saturday's onslaught. "When you have success I think you play with a little more confidence, a little more arrogance. The guys are just staying confident and they're playing together. That's the best part."
Starting pitchers Jarrett Brannen (JR/Bakersfield, Calif.) and Zach Westbrook (JR/Azle, Texas) handcuffed the Swedes on Saturday. Brannen allowed one run and three hits in six innings for his NAIA-best sixth victory in the opener and Westbrook gave up four runs on five hits in five innings in the nightcap.
Offensively the Coyotes bashed five home runs and two doubles among their 12 hits in the first game and followed with 11 hits that included four doubles in the second game. Defensively they had one error on the day.
"Our hitters just keep doing a great job, they grind at-bats out, they get hit by pitches and then obviously we hit the long ball," Neale said. "We're a complete offense right now and we seem to keep it going.
"J.B. (Brannen) set the tone coming out and doing a good job doing what he's doing. He was throwing strikes with his fastball, curveball, fastball, slider and changeup."
York comes to Evans Stadium on Monday for a single KCAC game starting at 11:30 a.m. The game was moved from Tuesday due to forecast inclement weather a majority of next week.
GAME 1
Dusty Sipe homered in the first inning, Zack Beatty (JR/Maple Park, Ill.) in the second and Will Dryburgh scored from third on a wild pitch in the third to stake Brannen a 3-0 lead after three innings.
After Bethany scored in the top of the fourth the Coyotes blew it open with four runs starting with back-to-back homers from Diego Solis (SO/El Paso, Texas) and Jarrett Gable (SR/Colleyville, Texas). Kendall Foster (SR/Prosper, Texs) followed with a two-run double that scored Dryburgh and Kevin Esquilin-Cruz (SR/Trujilo Alto, Puerto Rico).
Brown belted a solo home run in the sixth that made it 8-2 and the game ended on the run rule in the seventh when the Coyotes scored four times. Beatty drove in Esquilin-Cruz and Sipe with a double. Zach Olson (JR/Red Deer, Alberta) drew a bases-loaded walk that scored Brown and the game ended when Gable was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and scored Beatty.
Sipe, Brown and Beatty had two hits apiece. Beatty drove in three runs while Foster and Gable had two RBI each. Dryburgh, Sipe, Brown, Beatty and Esquilin-Cruz all scored twice.
Brannen (6-0) struck out six and walked one. Ritter Steinmann (SO/Oroville, Calif.) pitched a hitless seventh inning.
GAME 2
KWU scored all 12 runs in the first three innings.
Beatty drove in Foster and Dryburgh in the first with a single, Foster scoring from first on the play. KWU added four runs in the second on Gable's infield single that scored Solis, Sipe was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded scoring Gable and Brown's two-run double brought in Esquilin-Cruz and Dryburgh.
Six runs on four hits in the third inning gave the Coyotes a 12-1 advantage. Dryburgh and Sipe each had a two-rule double, Beatty an RBI single and Solis drove in a run on a fielder's choice. Bethany pitchers issued a walk and hit three KWU batters during the rally.
Dryburgh was 4 for 4, scored three and drove in two. Sipe and Beatty each drove in three and Brown and Beatty two hits apiece.
Westbrook (1-1) struck out two and walked one. KT Gearlds (SR/Ingram, Texas) pitched a perfect sixth inning and Riley Gwin (SO/Houston, Texas) worked out of a jam and struck out the side in the seventh.