STERLING, Kan. — Sterling College fell to the No. 12 ranked Kansas Wesleyan University in a weekend series Friday and Saturday, April 10-11. The Warriors had to battle the elements with rain and wind and the final game of the series was stopped short and restarted on Monday, April 13 due to lightning.
Game 1
The Warriors lost game one to the Coyotes, 17-6. Despite an early lead, Sterling was unable to carry the momentum through nine innings and Kansas Wesleyan was able to creep their way back in.
Sterling opened the scoring in the first inning when Matthew Garcia singled, advanced to third, and scored on a walk giving Sterling the early, 1-0 lead.
In the second inning, Mateo Castro singled and later scored on M. Garcia’s RBI single. M. Garcia then advanced to third on a groundout and was brought home by Emmanuel Huerta Cardenas‘ double, extending Sterling’s lead to 3-0.
KWU responded in the third with a three-run homer by Fernando Ruvalcaba, followed by an RBI double from Blake Dale, leveling the score at 4-4. Sterling regained the lead in the bottom half when Joshua Garcia scored on a wild pitch, making it 4-4 after three innings.
Sterling added two more runs in the fourth inning. Huerta Cardenas scored on Nehemiah House‘s RBI single, and J. Garcia scored on Imanol Ramos‘ double. Sterling led 6-4 through four innings.
The Coyotes surged ahead in the fifth inning, highlighted by a grand slam from Chase Aurand. KWU added two more runs to take a 10-6 lead after five innings.
Sterling was unable to score in the subsequent innings. KWU capped their scoring with seven runs in the ninth inning, including a three-run homer by Carter Allen, securing a 17-6 victory over Sterling.
Jace Phillips started on the mound for Sterling, pitching 4 1/3 innings while striking out seven batters and allowing eight earned runs on ten hits, including two home runs. Cayden Fisk faced difficulty in his brief appearance, issuing two walks and conceding two runs without recording an out. Peyton Fletcher provided some stability from the bullpen, pitching 3 2/3 innings with two walks and three hits allowed. Landon Snyder struggled, surrendering seven earned runs on four hits in just 2/3 of an inning. Cooper Lovelace closed out the game, pitching 1/3 of an inning without allowing a hit.
Matthew Garcia scored two runs and collected three hits while driving in one RBI. Emmanuel Huerta Cardenas added two doubles, recorded two hits, and drove in one run. Joshua Garcia crossed the plate twice and contributed a double among his two hits. Nehemiah House finished with two hits and one RBI, also drawing a walk.
Game 2
Sterling jumped to an early lead in the first inning, capitalizing with five runs. After Chuck Lang walked, Huerta Cardenas and Jackson Harding followed with singles to load the bases. House reached on a fielder’s choice, allowing Lang to score. Imanol Ramos then hit a home run, driving in four runs to complete a dominant inning. Sterling led 5–2 at the end of the first.
In the third inning, KWU’s Chris Finocchario hit his second home run of the game. Sterling responded when Mitchel McDaniel, who pinch ran for Harding after being hit by a pitch, scored on a bases-loaded walk by Castro. The score was 6–3 in favor of Sterling after the third inning.
The fifth inning saw the Coyotes take control with a 10-run outburst. Aurand’s three-run homer and Zac Goldenberg’s grand slam highlighted the inning. Sterling found itself trailing 15–6 at the end of the fifth.
The Warriors managed to add another run in the sixth inning. Castro singled and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Huerta Cardenas. The inning concluded with KWU ahead 19–7.
In the seventh inning, Sterling’s House hit a two-run homer to bring J. Garcia home. Despite the effort, Sterling ended the game with a 19–9 loss to Kansas Wesleyan.
Colin Clark pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing nine earned runs on nine hits, including three home runs, while striking out seven batters. Henry Green IV faced control issues, pitching only 1/3 inning and issuing four walks, yielding four earned runs. Cooper Lovelace contributed 1/3 inning, giving up two runs on one hit, while Zachary Johnston finished with two innings, allowing four runs and striking out two.
Nehemiah House recorded three RBIs and hit one home run, contributing significantly to Sterling’s run tally. Imanol Ramos added four RBIs and also launched a home run, further boosting the offense. Mitchel McDaniel scored twice and successfully stole a base, showcasing his effectiveness on the basepath. Emmanuel Huerta Cardenas contributed with both an RBI and a run, highlighting his impact at the plate.
Game 3
Sterling managed two runs on four hits and drew six walks, while the Coyotes tallied 14 runs on 13 hits. The game was suspended in the top of the fifth due to lightning on Saturday and finished Monday.
Kansas Wesleyan took an early lead in the first inning with a double from Niko Olson and an RBI single by Ruvalcaba, scoring Olson. Allen later scored on a fielder’s choice to give the Coyotes a 2–0 advantage.
Sterling responded in the second inning. Mitchel McDaniel, pinch running for Landen Volner, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a fielder’s choice by Castro. M. Garcia followed with an RBI single, bringing Ramos home and tying the score at 2–2. KWU quickly regained the lead with a solo home run by Goldenberg, ending the inning at 3–2 in favor of the Coyotes.
The Coyotes extended their lead in the third inning with a powerful display, hitting four home runs to add four runs, making the score 7–2. Allen, Ruvalcaba, Dale, and Logan Arndt each contributed with homers.
The momentum continued for KWU in the fourth inning. Ruvalcaba’s RBI single and a two-run homer by Dale increased their lead to 10–2.
In the fifth inning, the Coyotes added four more runs. An RBI single by Olson and a two-RBI single from Dale contributed to the scoring, pushing the lead to 14–2.
Sterling’s defense stabilized in the sixth and seventh innings, preventing further scoring from Kansas Wesleyan. However, Sterling’s offense was unable to recover from the deficit as they lost 14-2.
Aaron Elsasser started on the mound for Sterling, pitching 2 1/3 innings while allowing seven earned runs on seven hits, including five home runs. Peyton Fletcher followed, striking out two batters in 2/3 inning with one hit allowed. Jackson Reed contributed with one inning, striking out three but giving up three earned runs on three hits. Jordan Ramsey closed with a strong performance, striking out three in a scoreless inning.
Matthew Garcia contributed with one hit and one RBI while drawing two walks. Imanol Ramos reached base three times, collecting one hit and two walks, and scored a run. Mitchel McDaniel came in as a pinch runner and scored a crucial run.
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