A seven-run inning, some clutch late-inning hitting and superb work by the bullpen gave Kansas Wesleyan a leg up in the opener of a three-game Kansas Conference baseball series against Ottawa on Friday afternoon.
The Coyotes erased a 3-0 deficit with seven runs in the third inning and scored the go-ahead with a run in the seventh en route to an 8-7 victory at Dean Evans Stadium.
KWU improved to 13-9 overall, 6-2 in the KCAC, with its third consecutive victory while Ottawa fell to 12-8 and 6-3.
The Coyotes strung together six hits in the third and were aided by three wild pitches, two walks and a hit batter.
The eruption began with one out when William Dryburgh (SO/St. Joseph, Mo.) singled to left and went to second on Austin Cross (JR/Montgomery, Texas)' infield single. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Haydn Brown (SR/Gardnerville, Nev.)'s double to right field.
One out later Josh Sandoval (SR/Glendale, Ariz.) doubled down the left field line scoring Brown and Dalton Whitaker (SR/Edmond, Okla.)'s single to left drove in courtesy runner Spencer Keane (JR/Palm Springs, Calif.) making it 4-3. Dalton Bishop (JR/Colorado Springs, Colo.) then singled down the right line advancing Whitaker to third. Another wild pitch scored Whitaker with Bishop going to second, making it 5-3.
Tyler Latham (JR/Wichita Falls, Texas) and Tristan Devane (FR/Frostproof, Fla.) followed with walks to load the bases and Bishop scored when Dryburgh was hit by a pitch. Cross struck out but the pitch was wild, and Latham scored for the seventh and final run of the inning.
Ottawa rallied, though, scoring three runs in the fifth inning and tied it 7-7 with a home run in the top of the sixth, but the Coyotes scored what proved to be the game winner in the bottom of the seventh. Bishop led off with a double to left center, went to third on Devane's one-out single to right and scored on Dryburgh's sacrifice fly to center.
The KWU bullpen was magnificent in support of starter Trent Dewyer (JR/Albuquerque, N.M.), who pitched four innings and allowed five runs on four hits with six strikeouts and six walks.
Relievers Tyler Davis (FR/The Woodlands, Texas), Oscar Sanchez (JR/Celina, Texas) and Branden Voytko (JR/El Paso, Texas) allowed two runs on four hits over the final five innings with three strikeouts and one walk. Sanchez was the winning pitcher, allowing three hits and a run in three innings with Davis and Voytko each pitching an inning. Voytko got the save, working around two walks in the ninth.
The Coyotes had 11 hits in the game – Sandoval, Whitaker, Bishop and Dryburgh with two apiece. Dryburgh also drove in two runs. Three Ottawa pitchers had five wild pitches and hit three batters.
The teams play a doubleheader Saturday starting at noon at Evans Stadium.
--kwucoyotes.com--