Talented Class A and B softball was put on full display during the NFCA Kaiti Williams Memorial Leadoff Classic Tournament which featured Wayne High softball from September 5 - 6.
Williams was a standout player for Wayne State College (2012-15) and was a first baseman and outfielder from Papillion-LaVista South.
Per Wayne State Athletics, 'just three months after she graduated from WSC in the spring of 2015, she passed away unexpectedly at the age of 22 from an irregular heartbeat. Her number 14 jersey was retired in the fall of 2015 and a banner with Kaiti’s jersey number can be seen today on the right field wall at the Pete Chapman Softball Complex in her memory.'
In action for the Blue Devils, WHS split their September 5 games with a 14-3 loss to Millard North (eventual champion) and 6-3 victory over Fossil Ridge (CO).
The Blue Devils closed out with back-to-back 12-0 losses against Elkhorn South and Papillion-LaVista South on September 6.
After playing four Class 'A' level teams, the Blue Devils were then 7-5 on the season.
Courtney Roeber led Wayne at the plate with four hits (one triple) and two runs scored in four games while Lilly Johnson added three hits (one triple).
Reagan McManigal drove in a team-high two runs.
Mackenzie Nissen (255 pitches) started four games in 12 innings and went 1-3. She allowed 29 runs (15 earned) off 28 hits while striking out 13 batters, walking four and hitting one.
Jordyn Gamble (46 pitches/two and two-thirds) and Kinnley McGuire (26 pitches/one and a third) both worked relief in two games.
Among 30 teams, Millard North went 5-0 on the weekend to win the event scoring 53 total runs.
On September 9 back in Wayne, the Blue Devils won 4-2 against Lakeview (Columbus).
Wayne softball will return to weekend competition at the Omaha Mercy Round Robin (Mercy/Bishop Neumann/Yutan) on September 13 starting at 9 a.m. (games determined on power points) before visiting North Bend on September 15 starting at 5:30 p.m. and hosting Boone Central and Pierce during the Wayne triangular on September 16 starting at 4:30 p.m. for varstiy only action.
