KWU Baseball opens KCAC play with doubleheader sweep of Ottawa

The long-awaited start to the KCAC portion of the season came for the Kansas Wesleyan Baseball team as the Coyotes faced the Ottawa Braves in a doubleheader at Alumni Park.
 
The defending conference champions got things started on the right foot sweeping both ends of the doubleheader, winning the first game 5-3 in 10 innings, and posting an 8-6 win in the second game.
 
The first game had no scoring until the bottom of the sixth when Ottawa got on the board first. It wasn't the first time Ottawa threatened to score, as the Braves loaded the bases with nobody out in the third, but couldn't score as a strikeout and a double play ended the threat.
 
In the fourth, the Coyotes had a chance to score loading the bases on a Jarrett Gable single, a Zack Beatty walk and a later walk to Cruz Oxford, but the Coyotes could not push a run across.
 
Ottawa took the lead in the sixth off a walk, double and a RBI single, but the Coyotes held the Braves from doing more damage on the board with a strikeout to end the inning.
 
Wesleyan took the lead in the top of the seventh with two runs. Jacob Williamson singled and later scored on Gable's RBI single to left, and Beatty followed with another run-scoring single up the middle to score Tyler Favretto.
 
Ottawa tied it in the bottom of the seventh, and in the eighth, the Coyotes again had a chance to score a run, loading the bases on back-to-back walks to Williamson and Favretto, but could not score.
 
Finally in the 10th, the Coyotes broke through with three runs. Coulson Riggs reached on an error, and Adrian Villalobos was hit by a pitch, putting two runners on for Williamson to double and score both putting KWU up 4-2. Three batters later, Beatty singled and brought in a third run of the inning.
 
Ottawa got a run back in the bottom of the 10th, but closer Ryan Sandoval came in to get the final out and give the Coyotes the win.
 
Williamson had three of KWU's nine hits in the game, while Gable and Beatty had two. Starter Nathan Righi went six innings allowing one run on six hits with seven strikeouts. Ritter Steinmann went an inning allowing one run with two strikeouts. KT Gearlds earned the victory, going two and two-thirds innings allowing a run on five hits with three strikeouts and Sandoval got his second save of the season recording the final out.
 
In the second game, the Coyotes took an early lead in the first when Gable homered to put the Coyotes up 1-0.
 
Ottawa answered back with a lead-off homer in the bottom of the inning and added three more runs on a sacrifice fly and a 2-run double to take a 4-1 lead.
 
Wesleyan got three back in the top of the third. Williamson led off with a walk, and after two ground outs, scored on Beatty's single to center. Reece Bishop followed with a double, Eric Romero walked and Cruz Oxford followed with a 2-run single to tie things up 4-4.
 
Ottawa took the lead 5-4 in the bottom of the fourth scoring a run on a play that ended the inning with a runner being thrown out at second base, but the go-ahead run scored before the out.
 
The Braves extended their lead in the fifth with a run, but in the top of the sixth the Coyotes tied it. Romero led off with a single and went to second on an error, Oxford walked, Zach Long sacrified the runners over, and then Garcia brought them in with a 2-run single.
 
The Coyotes took the lead in the seventh. Gable led off with a single, and Beatty followed with a very well hit homer to left to put the Coyotes up 8-6.
 
Sandoval made a second appearance of the day in the bottom of the seventh. Ottawa put two runners on, but Sandoval bounced right back with back-to-back strikeouts, and then got a unassisted ground out to end the game.
 
The middle of the Coyote lineup produced eight of 10 hits as Gable, Beatty, Romero and Oxford had two hits each. Beatty drove in three, Oxford and Garcia two each. Reliever Cesar Rodriguez got the win going one inning, allowing a hit. Starter Brett Maddock went three and two-thirds allowing five runs, four earned on seven hits, while striking out six. Nathan Galusha went an inning and a third allowing one run on three hits. Sandoval pitched the seventh for his third save of the year.