STERLING, Kan. – Kansas Wesleyan Baseball got its conference season off to a solid start with a 5-2 win over the Sterling College Warriors on Tuesday at the Sterling College Baseball Field.

The victory extended Wesleyan’s winning streak to seven games, and improved KWU’s record to 13-5 overall and 1-0 in the Kansas Conference.

It also ended KWU’s streak of nine straight games against teams with Tigers as their mascot, as KWU had played three straight 3-game series with the Doane, Dakota Wesleyan and Iowa Wesleyan Tigers.

The Coyotes scored three times in the top of the third. Diego Solis (SO/El Paso, Texas) started the rally with a double and then scored on Jarrett Gable (SR/Colleyville, Texas)’s single. Diego Fisher (SR/Hollister, Calif.) walked and scored on a wild pitch and William Dryburgh (SR/St. Joseph, Mo.) drove in a run on a bunt single that scored Kevin Esquilin-Cruz (SR/Trujilo Alto, Puerto Rico).

Sterling got its two runs in the third.

Dustin Sipe (SR/Aztec, N.M.) hit a solo homer in the fifth, and Zach Beatty’s RBI single to left in the seventh that scored Kendall Foster (SR/Prosper, Texs) was more than enough for the Coyote pitching staff to get the win.

The Coyotes had two hits each from Foster, Sipe and Haydn Brown (SR/Gardnerville, Nev.) as KWU had 12 total hits in the game.

Spencer Foley (SR/Lancaster, Calif.) got the win for the Coyotes going five innings, allowing two runs on five hits with six strikeouts. Ritter Steinmann (SO/Oroville, Calif.) pitched two innings with two stikeouts. KT Gearlds (SR/Ingram, Texas) went an inning with two strikeouts, and Ryan Sandoval (SR/El Paso, Texas) got the save pitching the ninth, allowing a hit with two strikeouts.

Coyote pitchers struck out 12 Sterling hitters.

The Coyotes are back in action, back at Dean Evans Stadium, on Friday and Saturday as KWU hosts rival Bethany in a Kansas Conference series. Friday’s game starts at 3 p.m., and Saturday’s doubleheader starts at Noon.