[Baseball] Cross' walk-off gives Baseball a 4-3 win over Ottawa

Austin Cross (SO/Montgomery, Texas)' game-winning hit was huge for the Kansas Wesleyan baseball team, and even larger for him.

"By far the biggest hit of my career," Cross said Friday, moments after his two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the ninth inning propelled the Coyotes to a wild 4-3 Kansas Conference victory over Ottawa at Dean Evans Stadium.

The victory keeps the Coyotes in sixth place in the KCAC standings at 14-14, one game behind Sterling (15-13) and two games ahead of Southwestern (12-16). The top six teams in the final standings qualify for the conference tournament next month in Great Bend.

Cross, the Coyotes' sophomore right fielder and lead-off hitter, capped the unexpected rally.

Held to two runs on five hits and nine strikeouts through the game's first eight innings, KWU stormed back in the ninth against Stephen Norrell, the fourth Braves pitcher of the game.

Wesleyan scored a run off Norrell in the eighth inning when Cross singled home Tim Storms from third. But Norrell picked off Cross at first before walking Bailey Watros (SR/Sandwich, Ill.) giving up a single to pinch hitter Tanner Nelson (SR/McCloud, Okla.) that would have scored Cross.

Cross got the last laugh, though.

Josh Grubaugh (SR/Owasso, Okla.) singled with one out in the ninth and Storms drew a two-out walk. Craig Bettis (SR/Merced, Calif.) also walked, loading the bases for Cross.

Cross fouled off a 3-2 pitch before hitting a ground ball up the middle that went under second baseman Reece Skiles' glove and just out of the reach of shortstop Kyle Banister into shallow center field.

Pinch runner Zach Farmer (FR/Salina, Kan.) scored the game-tying run and KWU coach Bill Neale waved Storms around third with the winning run, triggering a frenzied celebration that engulfed Cross.

"To be honest, at the beginning of that inning I had a really good feeling I was going to get up and get a chance to do something," said Cross, who drove in all four KWU runs. "I didn't want to send my seniors out like that and got it in my mind and did something for them."

Neale said he didn't think Cross' grounder would get through the infield.

"But I still thought Tim was going to score," he said. "We were off and running, that's what a 3-2 count does for you. I didn't think it was getting through, but I knew (pinch runner Will Dryburgh) was going to beat them to second base. And I was sending Tim, no matter what."

Cross said he stepped into the batter's box with the pickoff still fresh in his mind.

"Especially since we got two hits and I could have scored," he said. "I decided to pick up (my teammates). There's no one else I'd rather do it for, there's no one I'd rather do it with."

Ottawa scored twice in the first inning and added an unearned run in the third for an early 3-0 lead against KWU starter Jakob Sandoval (SR/El Paso, Texas).

The Coyotes made it 3-1 in the bottom of the third without the benefit of a hit. Storms walked, stole second, went to third on a Bettis' fly out to right and scored on Cross' ground ball out.

KWU went down in order in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings against Ottawa relievers Nate Doolittle and Akoni Hamilton. Starter Adam Nelson, who only went two innings, Doolittle and Hamilton limited the Coyotes to one hit and struck out nine in the first seven innings.

Sandoval turned in another superb outing, working 8.1 innings and allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits with six strikeouts and three walks.

He settled down after the first inning and surrendered no runs and one hit during his final 5.1 innings.

"He's done it his whole career with us and it's going to be a sad day when he's gone," Neale said of Sandoval.

Freshman Richard Davis (FR/Salina, Kan.) was the winning pitcher, getting the final two outs on a double play to end the top of the ninth.

Neale was thrilled with the way his team continued to battle despite an off day at the plate.

"They dominated us the whole time, but that's just who this group is," he said. "As a coach I'm very proud of these guys because they're going to play right to the end. I'm just so proud of them."

The teams play a doubleheader Saturday on Senior Day at Evans Stadium, starting at 1 p.m. It will be the final home games for 14 Coyote seniors, who will be recognized during a ceremony between contests.

Cross said Friday's celebration would have to be short-lived.

"We've got two (Saturday) and we need them both," he said. "We're going to go out and battle like we did today and hopefully take home a sweep."