PENDER – When the season first started, the Wayne High baseball team was supposed to play six games in seven days, but due to weather Thursday’s game was only the second game played.
From Dave Nitzschke Field in Pender, it was the season opener for the Thurston-Cuming baseball co-op among Pender, Bancroft-Rosalie/Lyons-Decatur and Emerson-Hubbard.
Wayne High opened the scoring column with a run in the first inning before Thurston-Cuming County answered in the bottom of the second to tie the game at 1-1. The Thunder then took the lead with a two-run fourth inning before Wayne tied the game back up, 3-3. Defense took over for three scoreless innings as Wayne High tallied a pair of runs in the top of the ninth and held on for the 5-3 victory. The Blue Devils improve to 2-0 while Thurston-Cuming County falls to 0-1.
Wayne at TC Thunder:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 5 12 2 – Wayne
0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 6 2 – TC Thunder
Wayne High was led by three singles, a double and RBI from sophomore Gunnar Jorgensen. Senior Brennan O’Reilly singled and doubled while sophomore Hagan Miller recorded a single, double and RBI. Senior Zane Jackson added a single and two RBI while freshman Victor Kniesche and O’Reilly scored twice. Junior Kaleb Anderson, sophomore Josh Lutt and freshman Reid Korth each singled.
Freshman Jacob Kneifl picked up the win in six innings of work allowing two earned runs off of five hits while striking out nine batters and walking two. Sophomore Trevor DeBoer earned the save in the final inning facing only three batters as Jackson started the first two innings allowing one run off of one hit while striking out three batters, walking another three and hitting two.
Junior Sam Mailloux paced Thurston-Cuming County with a pair of singles and a RBI.
Senior Layne Hesse was the fourth pitcher in for the Thunder and suffered the loss in the final three and a third innings allowing two runs off of three hits while striking out three batters.
Wayne High is next scheduled to visit Wahoo/Bishop Neumann/Lincoln Lutheran on Friday, March 23 while Thurston-Cuming County will host Concordia/Brownell-Tallbot/Omaha Christian Academy next Monday, March 26 in Pender.
