The Wayne High softball team avenged an earlier-season loss in the semifinals and barely hung on to a big early lead to claim the Mid State Conference softball title Saturday in Pierce.
In the semifinals, Wayne exploded early and paid back O’Neill from a loss earlier in the season by rolling to a 13-3 win.
Wayne scored five runs in the first inning, thanks to two RBI doubles by Brooklyn Kruse and Delaney Kruse, and Hope O’Reilly later added a two-run single to help the Blue Devils reach the finals.
Brooklyn Kruse, Mikaela McManigal and Taytum Sweetland each had two hits to lead a nine-hit attack. O’Reilly drove in three runs and McManigal and the Kruse sisters each drove in two.
Wayne got off to a fast start in the finals against top-seeded Guardian Angels Central Catholic, but had to hang on for dear life to stop a comeback effort and claim the conference title with a 7-6 win.
Wayne put up five runs in the first frame, highlighted by a two-run single from Kierah Haase, then got RBI singles from Haase and Kendall Dorey in the third to build a 7-2 lead after 2 1/2 innings.
GACC came back with two in the third and added single runs in the fourth and fifth to close the gap to a single run. then had the tying run in scoring position with one out in the sixth before Dorey was able to pitch out of the jam. She worked a perfect seventh inning to seal the win for Wayne, 16-7.
Taytem Ellis had three hits to lead Wayne’s 11-hit effort, while Dorey, O’Reilly and Haase each had two hits. Haase had three RBI’s in the game and O’Reilly scored twice. Dorey fanned five and scattered seven hits and seven walks to get the win.
Wayne hosts subdistrict action on Monday at the Wayne Softball Complex. They face Schuyler at 12 p.m., while Crete meets Seward at 2 p.m. The winners will play for the title in the single-elimination tournament at 4 p.m.
