After making a few pre-season adjustments ahead of their 2025 opener, the Wayne High baseball team began on their home diamond.
Originally set to play in Hastings, the high school spring baseball contest was switched to a home game for Wayne High at Hank Overin Field with Adams Central in town on Friday.
After Wayne built an 8-0 lead, Adams Central came storming back with the host Blue Devils staying one run ahead to win at the end, 12-11. WHS begins their season at 1-0 as the Patriots fell to 0-1.
Scoring first began for Wayne High with five runs in the bottom of the third inning. Following a failed pick-off attempt, sophomore Adrian Contreras and senior Gavin Redden scored on an error; senior Alex Rodriguez later scored on a wild pitch; senior Calvin Ankeny followed by scoring on a fielding error as senior Brayden Rajaee-Hallgren drove in junior Drew Reinhardt.
WHS added three more runs in the fourth to lead at-most 8-0. Ankeny drove in both sophomore Jaxson Kneifl and Redden along with Rodriguez scoring thanks to a RBI ground out from junior Parker Patefield.
Adams Central began to mount their comeback with three of their own runs in the top of the fifth.
The Blue Devils would score twice in the bottom of the fifth to lead 10-3. Rajaee-Hallgren scored on an error and Ankeny drove in sophomore William Patefield.
In the sixth, the Patriots would post four runs to Wayne High’s two runs. Kneifl recorded a sac-fly scoring Rajaee-Hallgren while Contreras scored on an error.
Adams Central produced four more runs in the top of the seventh.
Final favored Wayne High holding on for the 12-11 win and won the hit department, 14-8 while committing two errors compared to six errors by Adams Central.
Calvin Ankeny singled three times, drove in three runs and scored while Gavin Redden and Adrian Contreras both singled three times and scored twice. Brayden Rajaee-Hallgren singled twice, drove in a run and scored twice.
Jaxson Kneifl singled, drove in a run and scored; Drew Reinhardt singled and scored; junior Brodey Munter singled; Parker Patefield accounted for an RBI; Alex Rodriguez scored twice as William Patefield scored.
Redden (66 pitches) picked up the win in five innings allowing three earned runs off two hits while striking out six batters and walking one. Contreras (29) worked two-thirds of an inning allowing four earned runs off one hit while walking three batters. Rodriguez (29) pitched two-thirds of an inning allowing four runs (three earned) off four hits while walking two batters. Jaxson Kneifl (14) earned the save in the final two-thirds allowing one hit.
