WAYNE/NORTH BEND – With youth baseball Bronco Division teams two games into the postseason, the Tri County League Pony and Didget Divisions played their first games Thursday evening.
From the Summer Sports Complex in the Pony Division, #3 Wayne Blue defeated #14 Schuyler, 16-6 while #4 Wayne White won 12-4 over #13 Bancroft-Lyons. Also in the Upper Didget Division, #11 Wayne White visited #6 North Bend Orange and ended their season with a 9-8 loss.
In the 14-team Pony Division games, Schuyler scored twice in the opening inning before Wayne Blue tabbed runs of eight in the second and five more in the fourth to lead 13-2. Schuyler did outscore Wayne, 4-3 in the fourth but Wayne Blue held on for the first-round tourney victory, 16-6. Wayne Blue improved to 9-3 and will next play on Tuesday, July 6 against the #6 Tekamah-Herman/#11 Pierce winner.
Six of the 16 Wayne Blue hits went extra bases. Kaden Keller tripled, singled three times, drove in five runs and scored three times; Jace Jorgensen doubled, tripled, drove in three runs and scored; Gavin Anderson doubled, singled, drove in a run and scored; Brayden Navarro-Bell tripled, drove in two runs and scored as Samuel Etter doubled and scored.
Mason Heikes singled twice and scored three times; Will Leseberg singled, drove in a run and scored three times; Alex Frank singled and scored; Brodrick Tiedtke singled and drove in two runs; Jamison Meyer singled and drove in a run as single runs came from Keegan Rubendall and Cole Clausen.
Meyer (40 pitches) secured the win in three innings allowing two earned runs off two hits while striking out six batters. Heikes (40 pitches) worked the final two innings allowing four runs (three earned) off four hits while striking out four batters and walking one.
Blue Ponies:
1 2 3 4 5 R H E
2 0 0 0 4 6 6 0 – Schuyler
0 8 0 5 3 16 16 2 – Wayne Blue
During the Wayne White outing, Wayne scored twice in the opening inning and outscored Bancroft-Lyons, 3-1 in the second to lead 5-1. B-L scored a run in the third followed by Wayne White adding two runs in the fourth, one in the fifth and winning the sixth, 4-2. Wayne White held on for the 12-4 victory to improve to 8-4. Wayne White will next play on Tuesday, July 6 against the winner of either #5 West Point or #12 North Bend.
Gavin Redden singled, doubled, tripled, drove in four runs and scored three times while Drew Reinhardt singled, drove in a run and scored twice. Zander Liston singled, drove in a run and scored; Carter Wiese singled and drove in two runs; Calvin Ankeny singled and scored three times; Parker Patefield singled and scored twice; Mason Karsky singled; Austin Heiser accounted for a RBI as Caden Wiese scored.
Liston (40 pitches) secured the win in two innings allowing an earned run off one hit while striking out four batters and walking one. Alex Rodriguez (31 pitches) worked two innings allowing an earned run off one hit while striking out four batters and walking one. Ankeny (32) pitched two innings allowing two runs off one hit while striking out three batters. Redden (12) closed out the final inning striking out three batters.
White Ponies:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
0 1 1 0 0 2 0 4 3 4 – B-R
2 3 0 2 1 4 X 12 9 3 – Wayne White
From the Upper Didget Division, #11 Wayne White suffered a 9-8 road loss at #9 North Bend Orange. Sam Leseberg recorded three hits and drove in six runs while Merrick Miller singled twice. Wayne White ended their season at 6-6.
Wayne Blue secured the #2 seed in the Upper Didget Division with their 10-1 record and will await the winner of either #7 Oakland-Craig or #10 West Point on Tuesday, July 6.
