The victory also sends the Coyotes to their 30th win of the season, marking four straight 30-plus win seasons, the second longest such run in program history. KWU won 30 or more games six straight seasons between 2007 and 2012.
Head Coach Bill Neale now sits just seven wins away from 300 for his tenure at Kansas Wesleyan. He achieved his 300th overall career win earlier this season. Neale is the all-time wins leader at KWU with 293.
It was also the 19th straight win for the Coyotes, the longest winning streak since winning 26 consecutive games in 2009.
Wesleyan fell behind 1-0 in the first inning, and didn’t get a hit until the fourth inning when the Coyote offense got untracked for nine runs to take a commanding 9-1 lead.
Jacob Williamson led off the frame with a double and two batters later Jarrett Gable reached on an error that brought in the first run. Walks to Cruz Oxford and Zack Beatty loaded the bases, and Reece Bishop singled to bring in a run. Eric Romero walked in a run followed by reigning NAIA Player of the Week Adrian Villalobos connecting on a 2-run double.
Alex Garcia brought in a run with a bunt single and Williams was hit by a pitch to load the bases again for Tyler Favretto to bring in two runs with a single. Gable was hit by a pitch to load the bases again and two batters later Beatty walked to force in the ninth run of the frame.
Romero tripled to start the fifth for the Coyotes and pinch runner Coulson Riggs scored on Garcia’s single to make it 10-1.
Sterling tried to rally in the sixth scoring five unearned runs, taking advantage of a couple Coyote miscues in the inning.
The Coyotes scored twice in the seventh on a Garcia single and a wild pitch.
From there, the Coyotes turned to the bullpen and Steinmann-Gearlds-Sandoval to close it out.
Garcia had three hits and drove in three to lead the Coyotes offensively. Villalobos and Bishop had two hits each. Pedro Ramirez got his first KWU win on the hill, going six innings, allowing six runs, but only one earned, on five hits with nine strikeouts, while walking just one.
The Coyotes head to Hastings, Nebraska on Wednesday for a non-conference twinbill with the Hastings Broncos before returning back to The Dean on Saturday and Sunday for a pivotal series with Tabor in a match-up of teams tied for first place in the KCAC standings.
