MILFORD — The Wayne High softball team saw its season come to an end in heartbreaking fashion Monday, as Aquinas hit a walk-off homer to win an extra-inning thriller 8-7 in the semifinals of the C-5 subdistrict at Welsch Park.
The Blue Devils trailed 3-0 in the sixth when they launched a late comeback. Kierah Haase got the rally started with a two-out single to left and came home on an opposite-field double by Caitlyn Mostek. Jordyn Gamble came on to pinch run and scored on a single by Logan Miller to make it 3-2.
In the top of the seventh, Wayne came through with some two-out magic that started with a Taytem Ellis single to right. She moved to third when Brooklyn Kruse reached on an error, and Ellis and courtesy runner Jersi Jensen came home on a double by Delaney Kruse. Haase followed with an RBI single to give Wayne a 5-3 lead, but Aquinas came back to tie the game and send it into extra innings.
Wayne put up two in the eighth when Haase started the inning on second and scored on a single by Miller, and pinch-runner Reagan McGuire made it 7-5 when she scored on a Mackenzie Nissen single.
Aquinas scored one in the bottom of the eighth on an error, and with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Aquinas’ Claire Wisnieski hit a 3-1 pitch over the wall in center to give the Monarchs the win.
Both teams had 10 hits in the game. Miller led Wayne with three hits, Haase had two and Ellis, Brooklyn Kruse, Delaney Kruse, Mostek and Nissen each had hits. Sammi Gubbels pitched the first two ininngs and Nissen worked the final 4 2/3 innings, taking the loss.
Official word on whether or not Wayne (13-9) gets a wild card into districts this weekend will be announced on Tuesday. Wayne was in 14th place prior to subdistrict play, and Monday's loss may drop them out of the race, depending on the outcomes of the remaining subdistrict tournaments in progress.
