[Baseball] Baseball drops series finale to Southwestern

WINFIELD – The Kansas Wesleyan baseball team tried diligently to dig itself out of an 8-9 deficit in the final four innings of Saturday morning's series finale with Southwestern at the Broadway Recreation Complex, but the deficit proved to be too great as Southwestern won 10-6 to take the series 2-1 over the Coyotes.

Southwestern scored twice in the bottom of the first inning, and then three times in each of the fourth and fifth innings taking advantage of KWU errors in both frames.

Finally in the sixth the Coyote offense got uncorked. Craig Bettis tripled with one out then scored on Bailey Watros' single to right. Russell McClung then singled followed by Dalton Whitaker's 3-run home to right. Kealen Martin made it back-to-back homers with another fence topper to right to get the Coyotes within three runs at 8-5.

Two Southwestern errors in the seventh allowed the Coyotes to score a run as Craig Bettis reached on an error and then scored when Watros reached on an error with two outs in the inning.

Southwestern got two runs back in the bottom of the eighth and the Coyotes could not put a rally together in the ninth to get the win.

Watros had two hits for the Coyotes, while Whitaker drove in three. Starter Wyatt Formo took the loss, allowing eight runs (six earned) on 10 hits with five strikeouts. Three other pitchers made appearances for the Coyotes.

KWU is back in action on Tuesday in a make-up from February 26 against Friends at 3 p.m. in Wichita. KWU then takes on Manhattan Christian on Wednesday at home before the home season finale series on Friday and Saturday at Dean Evans against Ottawa.