The Wayne American Legion Post 43 Juniors and Seniors got the 2018 summer season off on the right foot with easy wins at Pender on Monday.
In the Juniors game, Wayne outhit Pender 11-3 and came away with a 9-1 win over the hosts.
Wayne got on the board in the second with three runs. A Reid Korth Walk and singles by Jacob Kneifl and Blake Bartos loaded the bases, and Brock Hopkins was hit by a pitch to bring Korth home with the first run of the game. Josh Lutt followed with an RBI single and a walk to Trevor DeBoer plated the third run of the inning.
Korth doubled and came home on a Kneifl single in the third, and Wayne added two more in the fourth when Lutt stole home and Hagan Miller scored on a Gunnar Jorgensen ground out to make it 6-0.
Wayne put the game out of reach in the seventh thanks to RBI doubles by Hopkins and Korth, while Bartos brought another run home on a sacrifice fly to give Wayne the easy win.
Kneifl had three hits and Korth and Hopkins each had two to lead the 11-hit effort. Korth scored three runs in the game and Hopkins had two RBI’s. DeBoer went the distance, needing just 71 pitches to throw a complete-game three-hitter with five strikeouts and no walks.
In the Seniors game, Wayne pulled away with three runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth to win on the eight-run mercy rule with a 10-2 win over Pender.
Wayne broke the ice in the top of the first when Josh Dean doubled home Tyler Lutt. After Pender tied the game in the bottom of the inning, Wayne took the lead for good when Brennan O’Reilly scored on a groundout by Payten Gamble.
Wayne doubled their run total in the third when Beau Bowers singled Dean home and Adam Bentjen scored on a passed ball, then lit Pender up for three in the fifth and three more in the sixth to end the game on the eight-run rule.
In the fifth, RBI singles by Bentjen and O’Reilly scored Mason Lee and Bentjen, and Bowers later scored on a passed ball.
In the sixth, Dean brought Lutt home on a groundout, a Pender error scored Zane Jackson and O’Reilly singled home Kneifl to give Wayne the 10-2 win.
Bowers had three hits and O’Reilly, Dean and Jackson each had two to lead an 11-hit effort. Lutt and Bentjen both scored twice and O’Reilly and Dean each had two RBI’s. Lutt pitched 4 2/3 innings and struck out seven to get the win, with Gamble finishing things in relief.
Wayne was set to play Tekamah-Herman on the road Tuesday and play their home debut Friday against Logan View at Hank Overin FIeld, starting at 5:45 p.m.
