LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska Wesleyan baseball dropped a pair of American Rivers Conference games to Coe on Saturday (Apr. 25) at NWU Championship Stadium. The Kohawks took game one, 4-1, and edged the Prairie Wolves in the nightcap, 2-1. Nebraska Wesleyan falls to 12-25 overall and 7-14 in the A-R-C. Coe improves to 24-12 and 14-7 in conference play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1: Coe 4, Nebraska Wesleyan 1
Coe built its lead early in the opener. Jon Wille doubled to left field to score Ryan Thoreson in the first inning, and Louis Smelcer followed with a run-scoring single to left center to make it 2-0.
The Kohawks added a third run in the third on a Brent Yonkovic groundout RBI, then pushed across an unearned run in the sixth when Jon Wille singled to shortstop.
Nebraska Wesleyan finally got on the board in the eighth inning.
Cohle Sherman opened with a double to right field and moved to third on a grounder.
Gavin Crogg then grounded out to plate Sherman and trim the deficit to 4-1, but that would be as close as the Prairie Wolves would get.
Jack Walsh (7-1) went eight innings on the mound for Coe, allowing one earned run on two hits with 12 strikeouts over eight innings. Landon Moore closed it out in the ninth.
Jack Starr (4-3) started and took the loss for Nebraska Wesleyan, allowing four runs on six hits in 5.2 innings of work.
Caleb DeWitt was sharp in relief, tossing 3.1 scoreless innings with five strikeouts.
Jon Wille led the Coe offense, going 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs. Ryan Thoreson reached base all five times and scored twice. Sherman's double accounted for one of Nebraska Wesleyan's two hits on the game.
Game 2: Coe 2, Nebraska Wesleyan 1
The nightcap was a pitcher's duel that came down to the final out. Nebraska Wesleyan grabbed a 1-0 lead in the third inning when
Brady Bell singled through the right side and
Cohle Sherman followed with a double to left, moving Bell to third.
Ryan Ruggiero then singled through the left side to score Bell and give the Prairie Wolves the early advantage.
Coe answered in the sixth. Austin Gomez was hit by pitch and moved up on a Jake Mitchell sacrifice bunt before Ryan Thoreson singled through the left to even the score at 1-1. The Kohawks went ahead for good in the seventh when Eli Elsbecker and Brent Yonkovic hit singles, Yonkovic stole second, and Isaiah Espey lofted a sacrifice fly to right to score Elsbecker and make it 2-1.
Garrett Walsh (4-4) took the hard-luck loss for Nebraska Wesleyan, going 7.0 innings and holding Coe to two runs on seven hits with five strikeouts.
Tyler Spreitzer was sharp in relief with two scoreless innings.
Nolan Schroeder earned the win for Coe, striking out eight over 5.2 innings. Eli Elsbecker and Brent Yonkovic each had two hits for the Kohawks.
Nebraska Wesleyan put together a late threat in the ninth, pinch hitter
Owen Duckworth singled up the middle and
Brayden Harvey followed with a single through the left side to put runners on first and second with two outs, but
Duncan Ortega popped out to end the game.
UP NEXT
Nebraska Wesleyan hosts Central for the last regular season conference series, beginning with a doubleheader next Friday (May 1) at 3:00 p.m.
