Kansas Wesleyan Softball saw a seven game losing streak come to an end in a big way on Monday evening as the Coyotes blasted the Bethel Threshers 15-1 in a 5-inning game in the second game of the doubleheader at Salina South High School.
Bethel got a 3-2 win in the first game of Monday's doubleheader.
In the first game, Bethel scored twice in the first inning, and would hold the Coyotes off the board despite Josie Buhr's leadoff double in the bottom of the inning, when she was eventually stranded at third base.
Jenna Soule had a ground-rule double in the second inning and Shiloh Johnson reached on an error but Soule would be stranded at third in the inning.
Bethel increased its lead to 3-0 in the third, and the score would remain 3-0 until the fourth.
Trenity Miller doubled to left center, just missing a home run by inches, but two batters later Deja Rubio didn't miss anything, knocking the ball out of the park and into Jerry Ivey Memorial Park located across the street from the field to make it 3-2.
Wesleyan tried to rally in the seventh as Rubio led off the inning with a walk and moved to second on Johnson's sacrifice bunt, but on the next play Rubio would be called out for interfering with a fielder on Buhr's hit to short to extinguish the rally as the Coyotes fell short.
Buhr had two of KWU's seven hits in the game. Caitlyn Collier suffered the loss allowing three runs on eight hits with three strikeouts in a complete game performance.
Game two was a much different story for the Coyotes. Wesleyan shook up its lineup, as four new players appeared in the game that didn't play in the first and four others were in different spots in the lineup.
The changes paid immediate dividends.
After holding Bethel off the board in the first, the Coyotes got things started in the bottom of the inning. Buhr doubled to start the inning, but was thrown out trying to steal third. Two batters later, Keira Hammen crushed a ball out to left center, nearly landing the ball in Ivey Park, some 100 feet beyond the homerun fence at the park.
Wesleyan added two more in the second as Rubio led off on a walk and Hailey Summers reached on an error. Elli Han then drove in both runners with a triple to right center.
The Coyotes exploded for 12 runs in the bottom of the third inning. Back-to-back doubles by Soule and Hammen started the rally for the Coyotes. Two batters later Rubio singled to score pinch runner Krista Yackeyonny. Summers then singled and moved up on an error on the play. Han followed with an RBI single.
Cristabelle Alvarado walked and Cali Worsham followed with a 2-run ground-rule double. Two batters later, Soule came up for the second time in the inning and smashed a 3-run homer to straight away center field. Hammen then reached on an error, followed by walks to Miller and Rubio to load the bases.
Summers came up for the second time in the frame and quickly unloaded the bases. Summers crushed a no-doubt homer out to left field for a grand slam to put the Coyotes up 15-0.
Meanwhile on the other side, Alli Mickelsen was rolling in the circle. Mickelsen took a no-hitter into the fifth inning before giving up a leadoff double to the Threshers and then a run on a sacrifice fly for Bethel's lone run of the game.
KWU needed only 11 hits to score the 15 runs, as Soule, Hammen, Summers and Han had two each. Summers drove in four runs, Soule and Han three each. Mickelsen went the distance, allowing just the one hit and run, while striking out two and walking two.