Coyotes rally to split with Sterling in softball
By: David Toelle, KWU Sports Information

With Jenny Menke, one of the Coyotes’ top hitters, sitting on the bench after dislocating her shoulder, things did not look so good for the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes heading into Friday’s doubleheader with the Sterling Warriors. After dropping the opening game 9-5 to the Warriors, the Coyotes scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning of the nightcap to come away with a 12-7 win and split the doubleheader with the Warriors at Bill Burke Park.

The win snapped a six-game losing streak for the Coyotes, and improved their record to 11-26 overall, and 3-7 in KCAC play. Sterling falls to 22-15-2 overall, and 7-3 in KCAC play.

Sterling scored first in the opener, getting a run when Amanda Bean singled to short to score leadoff batter Brittany Pinson, who opened the game with a hit to third.

Wesleyan struck back in the third, getting three runs on one swing of the bat from Casee Contreras, who hit her third homer of the season to left field. After a lead off bunt ground out, Kristen Partin walked and two batters later Aimee Fisher was hit by a pitch to set up Contreras’ three-run shot.

Sterling answered back in the top of the fourth with a little long ball action of its own. Samantha Gonzalez and Ashley Engelland led off the inning with back-to-back homers that tied the score at 3-all. Wesleyan pitcher Megan Novotny quickly rebounded, striking out Emily Masters, and getting a ground out to third by Jaime Barbosa before Kayla Lassiter struck out to end the inning.

Wesleyan stranded a pair of runners in the bottom of the fourth, unable to capitalize on back-to-back one-out singles by Brecken McDaniel and Brittney Ludwisiak.

Sterling pulled away in the top of the fifth with three runs. The Warriors loaded the bases with three straight hits to open the inning, including two bunts for hits, before Novotny walked back-to-back batters to force in two runs. The Coyotes then changed pitchers to Jessi Barkley, and she gave up a sac fly to Masters before getting Lassiter to fly out to end the inning.

The Warriors added two more in the sixth, as the Warriors again loaded the bases, and a walk forced in a run, and another came on Engelland’s sac fly to right.

The Coyotes got a run back in the home half of the sixth. Barkley reached on a single to short when Lassiter dove at the ball and appeared to catch the ball but it popped out of her glove. McDaniel followed with a single, and Ludwisiak followed with a fielder’s choice to short but Barkley was out at home. Kat Benton then reached on a fielder’s choice to short which yielded a run when McDaniel was able to slide in under Bean’s tag.

Sterling got one more in the top of the seventh when the Warriors capitalized on Lassiter’s one-out double. Pitcher J’amie Quick nailed a hit to center field two batters later that scored Lassiter.

The Coyotes got one run in the bottom of the inning. Fisher led off with a walk and scored when Erin Hamel reached on a fielder’s choice. However, Fisher was safe at second on a wild throw by Quick and then scored on the play when Engelland booted the ball in center field. Hamel was then thrown out at the play trying to score on the play, and Barkley struck out to end the game.

Novotny took the game one loss, giving up six runs on seven hits, while walking four and striking out three in four-plus innings of work. Barkley completed three innings, giving up two runs on three hits, while walking two and striking out three. McDaniel had two of Wesleyan’s six hits, and Contreras led with three RBIs on her homer in the third.

Quick helped her own cause in the game one win, going 3-for-5 at the plate and tossing a complete game, giving up five runs on six hits while walking three and striking out five. Gonzalez drove in three runs and Bean drove in two more.

In the second game, Sterling again took a 1-0 lead after its first at bat. A leadoff single by Latasha Pearl would turn into a run on a hit back through the middle by Quick, but the Coyotes got Neamaci Rosales to fly out to center field to end the inning.

The Coyotes battled back and took a 2-1 lead after the home half of the first. Fisher led off with a single to center, followed by a base knock by Contreras down the line in left. Hamel the advanced the runners with a sac bunt, and Fisher scored the first run when she stole home. After a fly out, McDaniel nailed an RBI single to center to score Contreras. The Coyotes looked to add more, but Ludwisiak’s missle hit to first bounced off Quick’s glove right to the second baseman Hall, who fired back to first for the out.

Sterling got five runs in the top of the second to pull out to a 6-2 lead. Aubri Brock led off with a double to right, followed by a base knock by Barbosa to right center. Pearl then reached on an error by Partin at third base to load the bases, and Hall followed with a two-run single to right. After a defensive change by the Coyotes, Quick grounded out to second to score another run, and Hall then scored on a wild pitch by Novotny and Bean sent a 3-0 offering out to left before Gonzalez popped out to end the inning.

The Coyotes answered back in the bottom of the third, drawing within one at 6-5. Hamel led off the frame with a walk, and three batters later, the Coyotes put together three consecutive doubles by Ludwisiak, Benton and Partin to get three runs across.

Sterling went quickly in its half of the fourth thanks in part to some nifty defense in right field. After a leadoff strike out, Pearl reached on an error at third by Tina Dick, but was quickly retired on an inning ending double play when Hall flew out to right on a diving catch by Ludwisiak who then fired back to first to double up Pearl.

The Coyotes then broke out the big bats in the fourth for a pair of runs. Fisher led off the frame with her first bomb of the year, a line drive shot to left that tied things at 6. After a groundout to first and a fly out to second, Barkley took the 2-1 delivery from Gonzalez and sent it way, way out to left for her eighth homer of the year.

Bean hit her second homer of the game for Sterling in the top of the fifth to retie things at 7-all.

After a quick at bat by both teams, the Coyotes blew things open with a wild bottom of the sixth. Dick singled up the middle to lead things off, but was forced out on Fisher’s fielder’s choice to short. Contreras then reached on an error at third. Hamel then reached on a fielder’s choice when Barbosa committed another error which ended up yielding a run. Barkley then walked to load the bases, and McDaniel hit into another fielder’s choice that scored Contreras from third. Ludwisiak followed with a singled to score Barkley. After a Sterling pitching change, the Coyotes got another run on a wild pitch, followed by a walk to Benton. Another wild pitch got Benton to second, and Partin followed with a RBI hit to center before a ground out would end the inning.

Novotny quickly worked through the top of the seventh, getting Bean to line out to right to end the game.

Novotny worked the complete game in the nightcap, throwing exactly 100 pitches, giving up seven runs on seven hits while walking one and striking out two. Four different Coyotes had two hits each while three players each drove in two runs.

Gonzalez took the loss for Sterling, giving up 12 runs on 11 hits, while walking three and striking out none. Courtney Bell came in and recorded the final out in the sixth, allowing just one hit, and walking one.

The Coyotes will next be in action on Monday, as they take on Bethany in a make-up game from April 13. The doubleheader is scheduled for a 5 p.m. start in Lindsborg. The Coyotes then take on Friends on Wednesday in the final home game of the year at 5 p.m. at Bill Burke Park.

-- KWU SI --