[Baseball] Baseball completes series sweep with 13-3 win over Avila

For the first time this season the Kansas Wesleyan baseball team claimed a Kansas Conference series sweep as the Coyotes beat the Avila Eagles 13-3 on Monday at Dean Evans Stadium.

The win boosted Wesleyan's overall record to 15-15 and to a 9-10 mark in the KCAC.

The Coyotes broke the game open in the second inning as rally-starter Dalton Whitaker (JR/Edmond, Okla.) got things going again with a single, followed by a mammoth homer by Yodai Nakamura (SR/Las Vegas, Nev.) that put the Coyotes up 2-0. Timothy Storms (JR/Caldwell, Idaho) followed with a single, as did Craig Bettis (SR/Merced, Calif.), followed by conference player of the week Austin Cross (SO/Montgomery, Texas) with a 2-run single putting the Coyotes up 4-0.

Wesleyan added four more runs in the third as Russell McClung (SR/Clovis, Calif.) started off the inning reaching on an error followed by a walk to Kealen Martin (JR/Snohomish, Wash.). Whitaker then reached on an error and drove in a run on the play. Three batters later Storms singled home a run and Bettis followed with a 2-run double to make it 8-0 in favor of the Coyotes.

Avila added runs in the fourth and fifth innings before KWU added two more in the bottom of the fifth.

Cochran and Storms singled before back-to-back wild pitches brought home a run. Bettis drove in the other run in the inning on a groundout.

Avila scored a run in the top of the sixth and in the bottom of the inning, the Coyotes answered right back on another 2-out rally as Martin reached on an error and then scored on a wild pitch.

Storms led off the bottom of the seventh reaching on a walk, followed by singles by Bettis and Cross to load the bases. Freshman Will Dryburgh drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly and after a walk to Martin to reload the bases Whitaker would close out the game with a single to left scoring Bettis and ending the game on the run rule.

Wyatt Formo (SR/Mammoth, Ariz.) was again excellent on the mound for the Coyotes, tossing a complete game, scattering six hits over seven innings, allowing three runs (two earned) with 11 strikeouts.

Whitaker, Storms and Bettis paced Wesleyan's 13 hit output with three each, while Cross added two. Bettis drove in three runs.

The Coyotes return to action on Wednesday, heading to Seward, Neb. to take on the Concordia Bulldogs before hosting No. 13 ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan on Friday and Saturday at Dean Evans Stadium.