Baseball gets back on the winning track, knocking off Hastings 3-1

Kansas Wesleyan Baseball bounced back from a three-game losing streak knocking off the Hastings College Broncos 3-1 on Wednesday night under the lights at Dean Evans Stadium.
 
The Coyotes got on the board in the first inning as Jacob Williamson doubled down the line in left and Tyler Favretto followed with an RBI single down the line in right to put the Coyotes up 1-0 after an inning.
 
Zack Beatty doubled the Coyote lead to start the bottom of the second as he crushed a ball out to right center field making it 2-0.
 
Wesleyan's defense and pitching came up big in the game as well. Every time Hastings threatened, the defense would step up either on the bump or in the field to retire the side.
 
The Broncos led two runners on in the sixth inning, but after a lead-off walk, the Coyotes threw out a potential base stealer at second by a wide margin, then used a fielder's choice to end the inning.
 
The Coyotes added a run in the sixth as Jovan Suarez singled, then Williamson reached on a dropped third strike and throwing error that should have ended the inning. Favretto was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and a wild pitch would yield the run for the Coyotes as Suarez scored.
 
Hastings got its only run in the seventh inning, taking advantage of an error by the Coyotes to score a run.
 
The Broncos tried to rally again in the ninth but closer Ryan Sandoval would close the door with a pair of strikeouts to end it and give the Coyotes the 3-1 win.
 
Suarez had two of KWU's six hits in the game while Williamson, Favretto, Beatty and Eric Romero each had one.
 
Starter Brett Maddock got the win, going two innings allowing a hit and recording two strikeouts, taking advantage of what's affectionately known as the "Johnny WholeStaff" rule, where if a team designates that pitchers are going to throw a set number of innings, then the pitcher of record is the winning pitcher, which could be the starter without going the typically required five innings to get the win.
 
Nathan Righi pitched two innings with a hit and a strikeout, Branden Voytko went two innings allowing a hit with three strikeouts and two walks, Pedro Ramirez went an inning giving up an unearned ruin on a hit, KT Gearlds went an inning with three strikeouts and Sandoval got his fourth save of the season pitching the ninth allowing a hit with two strikeouts.
 
The Coyotes are off until Friday when they host Evangel at 2 p.m. at Dean Evans Stadium in a single game. The Valor and Coyotes will finish the series with a doubleheader on Saturday at The Dean.