Coyotes split with KCAC leading Bethany
By: David Toelle, KWU Sports Information

LINDSBORG – After being swept by Bethany earlier in the season, Kansas Wesleyan carried a four-game win streak into Tuesday’s doubleheader with the Swedes and split with the KCAC leaders, winning game one 3-2, and dropping the second 11-1.

Dustin Romero and Matt Garretson led off the Coyote first with back-to-back singles, before Stephen Cilladi doubled, scoring Romero. Garretson was thrown out at the plate. Cilladi, who had advanced to third would score on a wild pitch giving the Coyotes a 2-0 lead.

Bethany put single runs on the board in the second and third innings to tie things up.

Silvester Hernandez would reach on an error in the second, and would score on a double by Joel Sundquist before Andy Spirek would ground out to the pitcher to end the Swede second.

Charles Brown led off Bethany’s half of the third with a single, scored on a double by Keenan Dukes. Tyson Povey would double with two outs in the frame and Ben Schmidt would be hit to give the Swedes a chance to add more runs, but Shawn Ravenscraft struck out to end the threat.

The Coyotes scored the winning run in the top of the seventh off Bethany reliever Phil Kueber. Paul Bridenbaugh led the inning off with a single and advanced on a sac bunt by Sean Kenney. Romero then singled, scoring Bridenbaugh to give Wesleyan the lead.

Bethany went 1-2-3 in their half of the seventh and the Coyotes captured the first game.

Shaun Sumter got the win in the first game, pitching three innings of relief only giving up one hit and striking out one. Kueber took the loss for Bethany, only working the seventh, giving up two hits and the game winning run.

Game two was decisively in favor of Bethany.

Bethany put five runs on the board in the first inning after Wesleyan had grabbed a 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly by Chad Petersen.

Brown led off the Bethany half with a single, but was caught stealing. Back-to-back singles followed by an error scored the first run of the inning for the Swedes. Four straight singles each drove in a run for Bethany before Brown lined out to end the frame.

The Swedes (28-10, 13-3) added three more runs on the bottom of the second, and would add one run each in the next three innings before the game was called on the run rule in the fifth.

Garretson took the loss for the Coyotes, giving up eight runs on ten hits. Ryan Smith pitched three innings in relief, giving up three runs on four hits.

Tyson Povey went the distance for Bethany, giving up only one run on two hits, while striking out three and walking one.

Kenney had a hit in each game for the Coyotes (15-22, 9-7), while Cilladi and Romero each had two hits in the first game to lead Wesleyan.

Wesleyan is back in action for the third consecutive day as they take on Friends at 4:00 at Evans Stadium in Salina.

-- KWU SI --