NC Kansas News

Baseball Tripped Up By No. 12 Midamerica Nazarene In Season Opener

Kansas Wesleyan Baseball faced a formidable opponent in Thursday's season opener in No. 12 ranked MidAmerica Nazarene.

 

The Pioneers would pull away over the last four innings to come away with a 14-6 win at Glendale High School.

 

MNU took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a homer, and added three more in the top of the third on a pair of RBI doubles and an RBI single to take a 4-0 lead.

 

The Coyotes had two hits in the first four innings, both from Kendall Foster (SR/Prosper, Texs), but got into the scoring column in the bottom of the fifth.

 

Cruz Oxford (FR/Peoria, Ariz.) connected on a 2-out single to center then scored on Diego Solis (SO/El Paso, Texas)' double to left center. William Dryburgh (SR/St. Joseph, Mo.) reached on an error and pinch runner Coulson Riggs (FR/Piedmont, Okla.) later scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-2.

 

MNU added four more in the top of the sixth to take an 8-2 lead as the Pioneers loaded the bases and  then cleared them with a 3-run double, followed by a RBI single.

 

The Pioneers added three more in the seventh before the Coyotes struck again.

 

Jarrett Gable (SR/Colleyville, Texas) tripled to lead off the seventh, then scored on a wild pitch. Foster recorded his third hit of the day, this time an RBI single that scored Riggs. Another wild pitch brought in Dryburgh making it 11-5.

 

MNU got three more in the top of the ninth on a 2-run double and a RBI double.

 

The Coyotes tried to put together a rally in the ninth, loading the bases with two outs, and Kevin Esquilin-Cruz (SR/Trujilo Alto, Puerto Rico) drove in a run on a walk, but the Coyotes could not push another run across.

 

Foster led the way with three hits in his first game as a Coyote.

 

Nathan Righi (JR/Pekin, Ill.) took the loss, allowing four runs on six hits, with seven strikeouts, as KWU pitching tallied 11 strikeouts on the day.

 

KWU is back in action on Friday, taking on No. 24 ranked Taylor (Ind.) at 11 a.m., central time, 10 a.m. Arizona time.

Original source can be found here