OTTAWA, Kan. – After winning Friday's game over the Ottawa Braves, the Coyotes split Saturday's doubleheader winning the first game 3-2, but dropping the second 6-5 at Alumni Park.
 
The split would enable the Coyotes to pick up a 2-1 series win over the Braves and keep a sizable lead in the conference standings.
 
In the opener on Saturday, the Coyotes fell behind 2-0 in the second inning on back-to-back Ottawa homers.
 
Wesleyan tied it up in the fifth. Logan Arndt walked and then scored on an error on a Tyler Nordyke.
 
The Coyotes pushed ahead in the ninth as Fernando Ruvalcaba led off the inning with a walk. After a Chris Finocchario fielder's choice, Blake Dale doubled to bring in the go ahead run.
 
The Coyotes had just four hits in the game but it was enough for the win. Riley Gwin got the win for the Coyotes, going four innings of relief of Thalen Wright, holding Ottawa to one hit and two strikeouts.
 
KWU jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the third of the final game of the series, but Ottawa scored four in the bottom of the inning and added two in the bottom of the fourth, pushing enough across to hold on for the 6-5 win.
 
Nordyke and Niko Olson singled to start off the third and Carter Allen hit a 3-run homer to put the Coyotes up 3-0. Ottawa got four runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead.
 
The Braves added two more in the fourth.
 
Wesleyan tried to rally in the sixth as Arndt led off the inning with a single and then Nordyke followed with a 2-run homer to get the Coyotes within one.
 
Nordyke had two of KWU's seven hits. Wil Yamka suffered the loss.
 
The Coyotes are back in action next weekend, stepping out of conference for a three-game series with Hesston. Friday's game will be in Hesston, but the teams will play a double-header starting at 1 p.m. Saturday at Dean Evans Stadium.