SEWARD – Blue Devil baseball capped off a five-game week with a weekend invitational.
From Seward, WHS joined three other teams during the Seward Invite on Saturday.
Wayne High suffered a 9-7 loss in game one to Malcolm followed by a 21-18 victory against the host Seward. The Blue Devils are now 11-6 on the season as Seward fell to 4-15.
Central City/Fullerton/Centura defeated Seward in game one, 15-3 and captured the invite with a 7-6 victory over Malcom. Central City is now 17-1 on the season; Macolm finished second and sits 12-4 on the year.
In the opening game, Malcolm scored a run in the home half of the first inning before both teams scored a run in the second. WHS outscored Malcolm, 3-2 while both teams scored a run in the fifth to remained tied at 5-5. Malcolm then outscored Wayne High in the sixth, 4-2 to hold onto the 9-7 victory. Both teams recorded eight hits as Malcolm committed the lone two errors of the game.
Brooks Kneifl posted a two-run homerun and scored once more; Kaleb Moormeier singled twice, tripled and drove in two runs while Brandon Bartos doubled for Wayne High.
Gavin Redden singled and scored twice; Wyatt Heikes singled and drove in a run; Devin Anderson singled; James Dorcey scored twice as Calvin Starzl scored.
Brooks Kneifl (nine pitches) suffered the loss in the final third of an inning allowing two earned runs off two hits. Kaleb Moormeier (92 pitches) worked the opening five and two-thirds allowing seven earned runs off six hits while striking out six batters and walking three.
During the third place contest, Seward built an early lead thanks to a run in the bottom of the first and a 5-1 second inning. WHS outscored the Bluejays, 3-2 in the third (trail 8-4) and Seward won the fourth, 2-1 (to lead 10-5). The Blue Devils then began their comeback with a 4-2 fifth (trail 12-9); won the sixth, 5-4 ( trail 16-14) and had a wild seventh inning of 7-2. Final favored Wayne High, 21-18 as Seward won the hit department, 15-13. WHS committed nine errors compared to six from the Bluejays.
Gavin Redden singled, recorded a three-run homerun; totaled five RBI and crossed the plate twice; Aiden Liston singled, posted a two-run homerun and totaled four RBI; Brooks Kneifl added two singles, a solo homerun; three total RBI and crossed the plate three times as Kaleb Moormeier singled twice, tripled and scored twice for Wayne High.
Devin Anderson singled twice, drove in two runs and scored three times; Toby Braun singled, drove in a run and scored three times; Brandon Bartos and Wyatt Heikes both accounted for a RBI and two runs scored; Calvin Starzl scored twice as James Dorcey scored once. Jacob Anderson also tacked on a RBI.
Dorcey (71 pitches) picked up the win in four innings of relief allowing 10 runs (four earned) off nine hits while striking out two batters and walking three. Aiden Liston (66 pitches) started the opening two and third allowing eight runs (five earned) off five hits while striking out two batters and walking one. Gavin Redden (10 pitches) closed out the final two-thirds allowing one hit while striking out one batter.
The Wayne High baseball team will have another busy week starting off with a home outing against Class A Norfolk High on Monday, April 25 starting at 4 p.m. for varsity action from Hank Overin Field.
WHS will also visit GACC/Scribner-Snyder/West Point-Beemer on Tuesday, April 26; host Adams Central on Thursday, April 28; visit Platte Valley on Saturday, April 30 and close out the season at Malcom on Monday, May 2.
