The Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes showed why they won the Kansas Conference title by seven games, have 46 victories this season, are the top seed in the KCAC Championship and are the 10th-ranked team in the NAIA.
Coming off a loss to fifth seeded McPherson in the championship semifinals Thursday, they put the freight train back on the tracks with two lopsided victories Friday at Dean Evans Stadium - 19-3 over fourth seeded Friends and 10-1 over McPherson.
KWU plays McPherson for the third time in the tournament in an elimination game at 11 a.m. Saturday. The winner advances to the title game against Oklahoma Wesleyan at 2:30 p.m.
"We're having a bunch of fun out here," coach Bill Neale said. "I told them yesterday to play like your 12-year-old version playing for yourself or for ice cream. We were taking aggressive cuts on baseballs and hitting the ball yard (home runs), we were running the bases really well and defensively, man ..."
The Coyotes scored 29 runs on 29 hits and played errorless ball on the day with a handful of spectacular defensive play sprinkled in. It was the 28th and 29th time this season they've scored 10-plus runs in a game.
As good as the hitting was, the pitching was even better. Thalen Wright (5-0) threw a seven-inning complete game against Friends Friday afternoon, and Davin Hinote (3-0) limited McPherson to one run on five hits through seven innings in just his fifth start of the season Friday night.
"Thalen's one of our (starters) and he's been a little sharper here down the stretch and he did a good job," Neale said. "Davin was tremendous . He has a little cutter he's been working on, and his fastball is tough and moves."
KWU played McPherson again after losing to the Bulldogs 11-5 Thursday night. Hinote and the offense made sure there was a different outcome.
The Coyotes four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Nico Olson led with a triple. Garrett Garfield walked one out later and Fernando Ruvalcaba's single drove in Olson. With two outs Blake Dale sent a fly ball high over the left field wall that scored three runs and made it 4-0.
Allen singled leading off the third inning and scored one out later on Ruvalcaba's ground out.
KWU broke the game open with four runs in the fifth, the rally coming with two outs. Chris Finacchario walked and Dale was hit by a pitch. Both scored on Joe Finder's double, making it 7-0. Zac Goldenberg reached on an error, and he and Finder scored on another error when Tyler Nordyke's ground ball was misplayed by the shortstop increasing the lead to 9-0.
Wesleyan's final run came in the sixth. Allen doubled and scored on Ruvalcaba's ground out - his third RBI of the game.
The Coyotes had 10 hits, three by Allen and two by Ruvalcaba.
Neale expects Round 3 against McPherson on Saturday to be a battle.
"They're going to be tough," he said. "I think we're both going to be a little low on pitching. We've got to swing the bats the way we did today, and we've got to be the aggressors. You look at both games today and we jumped on them early; we put them to sleep a little bit and that's what you want to do."
KWU 19, Friends 3
Held to five runs in each of their two tournament games, the Coyotes' bats came alive in devastating fashion in the seven-inning, run-rule contest.
KWU had 19 hits off five Friends pitchers, eight that went for extra bases including three home runs. Olson led the hit parade going 5 for 6, Ruvalcaba and Goldenberg had three apiece and Allen and Garrett Garfield two each.
Wright was in command from start to finish, allowing six hits with one strikeout and one walk.
It was an ominous start as the Coyotes, though, as Friends' starter Cameron Chase struck out the side in the first inning, but things quickly unraveled.
KWU sent nine batters to the plate and scored five in the second inning. Chase retired two of the first three hitters before Goldenberg's two-run double scored Finocchario and Finder, who singled and walked respectively. Nordyke singled, Olson's double drove in Goldenberg, and Allen's single brought Nordyke and Olson home.
The Coyotes exploded for eight runs in third inning, sending 12 batters to the plate. After Ruvalcaba singled and Dale walked, Finder ended Chase's day with a three-run homer to right that made it 8-0.
KWU wasn't done, though. With two outs Nordyke walked, Olson singled and Allen reached on an error. Garfield walked with the bases loaded scoring one and Ruvalcaba brought everybody, including himself, home with a grand slam that upped the ante to 13-0.
KWU was back at it again in the fourth. Goldenberg hit a one out solo homer; Nordyke walked, and Olson doubled. Allen's ground out scored Nordyke and Garfield singled in Olson, making it 16-1.