KWU Baseball Completes Sweep of Avila, New Homer Kings Crowned

There's a pair of new homerun kings atop the Kansas Wesleyan record books.

Kendall Foster (SR/Prosper, Texs) homered three times on Saturday, and Jarrett Gable (SR/Colleyville, Texas) once to set a new KWU single game homerun record as both have 19 on the season as the Coyotes swept Avila 17-3 and 8-1 at the Zarda Multisport Complex.

Saturday's doubleheader sweep completed the series sweep for the Coyotes and left Wesleyan a game ahead of McPherson atop the KCAC standings after Oklahoma Wesleyan took two of three from McPherson in the weekend series.

Foster and Gable passed a pair of KWU players for the homerun mark in Daniel Bolanos and Peyton Deiters (twice) who had 18 in a single season.

Current Coyote Zack Beatty (JR/Maple Park, Ill.) sits just behind Foster and Gable with 18.

In Saturday's opener, the Coyotes scored in every inning.

Haydn Brown (SR/Gardnerville, Nev.) doubled in the first to score William Dryburgh (SR/St. Joseph, Mo.). Gable homered in the second, followed by a solo shot by Zach Olson (JR/Red Deer, Alberta).

Beatty connected on a RBI single in the third to score Foster.

Dryburgh had a RBI single in the fourth that scored Olson, and Dustin Sipe (SR/Aztec, N.M.) followed with a 2-run triple.

Beatty led off the fifth with a homer.

In the sixth it was Beatty time again, this time launching a grand slam to left.

In the seventh the Coyotes put five on the board. Olson brought in Kevin Esquilin-Cruz (SR/Trujilo Alto, Puerto Rico) with a double, Dryburgh had a RBI single, Foster hit a 2-run homer and Gable added a RBI single in the inning.

Wesleyan had 18 hits as Beatty led the way going 4 of 5 with six RBI. Dryburgh and Olson had three hits each. Nathan Righi (JR/Pekin, Ill.) was phenomenal on the mound, going six innings, allowing two runs on only four hits while striking out 14 against no walks.

The Coyotes completed the sweep with an 8-1 win in the second game.

A sacrifice fly by Brown and a RBI double by Beatty got the Coyotes on the board in the first.

Esquilin-Cruz led off the second with a ground rule double then stole home giving the Coyotes a 3-0 lead.

No one scored until the fifth when Foster hit a solo homer to lead off the inning.

Avila got a run in the bottom of the inning.

Wesleyan blew it open in the sixth with four runs. Kensuke Okada hit a 2-run homer and Foster followed later with another 2-run shot making it 8-1 Coyotes.

Foster had three of KWU's 10 hits. Dryburgh and Okada had two.

Jarrett Brannen (JR/Bakersfield, Calif.) went six solid innings allowing a run on five hits with six strikeouts.

The Coyotes head to Leavenworth and Saint Mary next weekend to conclude the regular season.