It was not a fun day to watch a pair of softball games. With temperatures hovering in the upper 40’s and the wind blowing from the north, viewing conditions were less than ideal for Tuesday’s softball doubleheader between Kansas Wesleyan and Sterling. However, the Coyotes sent the fans that braved the conditions home with a warm fuzzy feeling as Wesleyan swept the Warriors 9-5 and 8-6 at Bill Burke Park in Salina.

Officials for both teams even tried starting the games about 20 minutes early to try to avoid the cold conditions forecast for Tuesday night, but a pair of very long games blew that plan out of the water. The opener took an hour and 53 minutes, while the nightcap took two hours and 17 minutes to complete.

Wesleyan took the lead in the opener in the bottom of the first when Caitlin Girard reached on an error at second base by Sterling that allowed Paige Heinen to score after she led off the inning with a single. The Coyotes had a chance to plate more runs, leaving the bases loaded before getting another run across.

The Coyotes left the bases loaded again in the bottom of the second. Kaity Crawford led off with a hit and three batters later, Chelsea Carvalho walked followed by a hit by Girard, but a lineout on a very hard hit ball to third by Sara Weber would end the Coyote threat.

Sterling evened things up in the top of the third when Mallory Koschany scored on a double by Alyssa Bell. A pair of walks would load the bases for Sterling against Wesleyan starter Chelsea Reid but Reid would get out of the inning when Jamie Barbosa flew out to end the Sterling rally.

The Coyotes came roaring back in the next two innings, plating three runs in the third and four more in the fourth to take an 8-1 lead.

Cassy Roldan led off the Coyote third with a single, and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Amanda German and then scored along with teammate Ashleigh Roberts on Reid’s two-run single. Heinen followed with a hit to score pinch runner Brittaney Krug.

Girard and Weber put together back-to-back singles to open the Coyote fourth and Roldan reached on an error to load the bases. German plated the first run of the inning on a sacrifice fly, followed by a two-run double by Roberts. Reid plated the fourth run of the frame on a sacrifice fly that scored Roberts.

Sterling got one run in the top of the fifth when Courtney Bell grounded out to third with the bases loaded off reliever Heather Kelley.

The Coyotes added one more run in the sixth without recording a hit. Roberts walked with one out and moved to second on a passed ball and then to third on a wild pitch setting up Crawford’s suicide squeeze bunt.

Sterling put on its rally caps in the top of the seventh but fell short. Koschany reached on an error to lead off the inning and then stole second before Alyssa Bell’s bunt single. Kelly Hannah singled to plate the first run. Kayla Lassiter then reached on another Wesleyan error that allowed the last two runs to score. Kelley and the Coyotes then took a deep breath and regrouped getting Courtney Bell to ground out to short, Barbosa to ground out to the pitcher and Ashli Bell to strike out to end the suspense.

Wesleyan pounded out 13 hits in the opener in the 9-5 win. Girard had three hits, while four others had two each. Reid helped her own cause driving in three runs. Reid picked up the win to improve to 11-0 on the season, giving up two runs on five hits while walking four and striking out three in four and a third innings. Kelley finished the game, giving up three unearned runs on two hits while striking out three in two and two-thirds innings of work.

Alyssa Bell went 3-for-4 for Sterling in the opener and Koschany had two more hits for the Warriors. Tanya Dahl took the complete game loss for the Warriors, giving up nine runs, six earned, on 13 hits while walking five and striking out one.

Sterling jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first with all the runs coming on Lassiter’s three run blast to left off Wesleyan starter Abby Spickler, but Spickler settled and got out of the inning without any more damage being done.

Then it was the Coyotes’ turn to take the lead in the bottom of the inning. Carvalho was hit by a pitch with one out to start Wesleyan’s rally and Girard followed with a double to right and Weber singled to right to plate both Carvalho and Girard. Weber moved up on a passed ball and then scored on a double by Roberts. Krug then walked, followed by a Spickler single to load the bases for Taylor Ebert to drive in a run with a bases loaded walk to give the Coyotes the lead. Heinen would ground out in her second at bat of the frame to cap a 35-minute first inning.

Just like in the opening game, Wesleyan left the bases loaded in both the first and second innings as the Coyotes left the bases juiced in the bottom of the second without scoring a run.

Sterling (14-26, 4-8 KCAC) knotted things up at 4-all in the top of the fourth when Alyssa Bell singled to left to score Letricia Zamora. The Warriors would regain the lead in the fifth with a pair of runs. Barbosa and Jessica Steere put together back-to-back hits for the Warriors to force a Wesleyan pitching change. Reliever Heather Kelley gave up a RBI hit to Alex Peters in which two runs scored, the second coming on an error in right field by the Coyotes.

Wesleyan answered back with three runs in the fifth to regain the lead 7-6. Krug reached on an error with one out to start the Coyote rally. Heinen reached on a Sterling error with two outs to load the bases and Carvalho hit into a fielder’s choice in which everyone was safe when Sterling’s shortstop made a bad throw to third to try and get Roldan to end the frame. Girard then followed with a two-run single to give the Coyotes the lead. Weber followed with another single to reload the bases, but the Coyotes rally would end on a controversial called third strike to Victoria Trujillo when the Sterling catcher had to dive into the other batter’s box to make the catch of the pitch that was called a strike by the umpire.

Wesleyan (27-13, 8-6 KCAC) added a little insurance in the sixth when Krug scored on Roldan’s suicide squeeze bunt after singling with one out.

Kelley would retire Sterling in order in the seventh to seal the win, getting the last out when Koschany would be called out on obstruction when she was hit in the back with the ball running to first in fair territory on a bunt play, taking away the opportunity for the Wesleyan catcher to make the play.

The Coyotes pounded out another 11 hits in the game and Girard added three more hits to her season total and Weber added another two. Both Girard and Weber also drove in two runs apiece. Kelley got the win in relief for the Coyotes, allowing only three hits while walking one and striking out four in two and two-thirds innings of work after relieving starter Spickler in the fifth. Spickler allowed six runs on nine hits while striking out three and walking one.

Courtney Bell took the complete game loss for Sterling, tossing 147 pitches, allowing eight runs, only four earned, on 11 hits while walking three and striking out five. The Warriors had 12 total hits led by Koschany who went 4-of-5 in the game.

The Coyotes will wrap up KCAC play on Saturday with a 1 p.m., doubleheader with Friends University at Bill Burke Park in Salina. Wesleyan will then conclude the regular season with a pair of doubleheaders next week against Baker University next Tuesday and the regular season finale a week from Friday at 2:30 p.m., against Haskell.

David Toelle
Director of Sports Information