Kaden Sitzman (SR/McCook, Neb.) tossed a gem for the Coyotes as KWU and Tabor opened their weekend Kansas Conference series a day early on Thursday at Dean Evans Stadium due to the threat of inclement weather forecast for Friday.

Sitzman held Tabor to just one hit and one unearned run while striking out 10 as the Coyotes opened the series with a 6-1 win over the Bluejays. He allowed just three baserunners for the Bluejays after the third inning, none on hits.

The lone hit allowed by Sitzman came in the top of the third that also yielded a run on the play, which was unearned thanks to a pair of KWU errors in the frame.

Wesleyan had taken an early 1-0 lead in the second when Josh Sandoval (SR/Glendale, Ariz.) led off the frame with a single then Tyler Triano (SO/Hollister, Calif.) tripled to left to drive courtesy runner Spencer Keane (JR/Palm Springs, Calif.) home. Triano went for an inside-the-park homer as the ball got behind Tabor’s left fielder all the way to the wall, but he slipped rounding third base and was tagged out.

The Coyotes added two more runs in the fourth, taking advantage of two Tabor errors in the inning. Haydn Brown (SR/Gardnerville, Nev.) reached on an error and then went to third when Trey Lopez (SR/Burlington, Wash.) flew out, but the throw from center field sailed into the Tabor dugout. That set up Sandoval’s RBI single to left center and later in the inning Austin Cross (JR/Montgomery, Texas) drove in a run with a sacrifice fly putting KWU up 3-1.

Wesleyan held the 3-1 lead until the bottom of the eighth when the Coyotes scored three runs. Sispako Vehikite led off the inning with a walk and William Dryburgh (SO/St. Joseph, Mo.) reached on an error. A balk allowed Vehikite to score the first run of the inning.

Lopez drove in a run on a fielder’s choice and Sandoval capped the scoring for the Coyotes with a RBI double that scored pinch runner Nicholas Erickson (JR/Las Vegas, Nev.).

Sitzman worked a quick top of the ninth to wrap things out, getting a strikeout, his 10th of the game to wrap things up.

Sandoval had three of KWU’s seven hits in the game and drove in two runs.

The teams will meet again on Saturday in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. at Dean Evans Stadium.