For the first time in a number of years, the Wayne Dirt Devils softball program did not keep a championship trophy at home from the annual Dirt Devil Classic, held at the Wayne Summer Sports Complex and Wayne State College’s Chapman Complex.
The 18-under Dirt Devils came the closest, reaching the championship game before falling to the Pinnacle Bank Bullets 3-2. The 18-under reached the championship game with a dramatic extra-inning rally against the Brandon (S.D.) Blaze, scoring one in the sixth and two in the seventh to force extra innings, then scoring two in the ninth and holding off a rally for a 5-4, nine-inning win to advance to the finals.
The 10-under team came away with a fourth-place finish in their bracket, rebounding from an off day Saturday to reach the semifinals before losing to Kelly’s Yellow 6-5. They fell in the third-place game to Golden Girls Black, 6-5.
The 14-under Dirt Devils were runner-up in the Silver Division of their bracket, losing to West Point 12-3 in their final game, while the 12-unders were eliminated in the semifinals of the Gold Division in their age group, losing to Tri-State Pride 2-0.
Sunday’s Bracket results for each age group are as follows:
10-Under Bracket
First Round: Dirt Devils def. Tri-State Pride 10-5, Golden Girls Black def. Kelly’s Green 9-0.
Semifinals: Kelly’s Yellow def. Dirt Devils 6-5, Pender def. Golden Girls Black 4-0.
Fifth Place: Kelly’s Green def. Tri-State Pride 9-8
Third Place: Golden Girls Black def. Dirt Devils 6-5
Championship: Pender def. Kelly’s Yellow 8-1.
12-Under Bracket
Gold Division Semifinals: Tri-State Pride def. Dirt Devils 2-0, Yankton River Bandits def. Pender 6-3
Gold Division Final: Tri-State Pride def. Yankton River Bandits 4-3
Silver Division Semifinals: Dakota Valley def. Kelly’s 10-0, Pinnacle Bank Bullets 12’s def. Pinnacle Bank Bullet’s 11’s 10-1
Silver Division Final: Pinnacle Bank Bullets 12’s def. Dakota Valley 4-2
14-Under Bracket
Gold Division Semifinals: Brandon Rage def. Yankton Fury 8-0, Pender def. Dakota Valley 13-0
Gold Division Final: Brandon Rage def. Pender 8-3
Silver Division Semifinals: Dirt Devils def. Kelly’s 6-5, West Point def. Lakeview Blue Lightning 8-2
Silver Division Final: West Point def. Dirt Devils 12-3
16-Under Bracket
First Round: Millard Fury def. Dakota Thrillers 12-3, McCook Lakers def. Vermillion Flamez 8-6
Semifinals: Brandon Valley Shock def. Millard Fury 7-2, Extreme South Dakota def. McCook Lakers 4-0
Fifth Place: Dakota Thrillers def. Vermillion Flamez 7-6
Third Place: McCook Lakers def. Millard Fury 7-3
Championship: Extreme South Dakota def. Brandon Valley Shock 3-2
18-Under Bracket
First Round: Brandon Blaze def. Lakeview Blue Lightning 10-0, Arlington def. Vermillion Blast 11-6
Semifinals: Dirt Devils def. Brandon Blaze 5-4, Pinnacle Bank Bullets def. Arlington 8-0
Fifth Place: Vermillion Blast def. Lakeview Blue Lightning 16-5
Third Place: Brandon Blaze def. Arlington 7-3
Championship: Pinnacle Bank Bullets def. Dirt Devils 3-2
Complete Dirt Devil weekend results in this week’s edition of The Wayne Herald.
