You can’t beat perfect.
Gavin Redden mowed down 18 Ponca batters in order over six innings and the offense gave him enough support as Wayne opened the season with an 8-0 win last Friday at Hank Overin Field.
The perfect game was Redden’s first of his career, as he needed just 114 pitched to set down the Ponca lineup 1-2-3 in all six innings. Three groundouts and two pop flies were spotted around the 13 strikeouts Redden recorded in the win.
Wayne got a run in the third when Redden walked, stole second, moved to third on a single by Brooks Kneifl and then stole home to give the locals the lead.
A two-run single by Kneifl in the fifth made it 3-0, and Wayne ended the game on the eight-run mercy rule with five in the sixth, highlighted by an RBI single from Calvin Starzl, two hit batters with the bases loaded, and a Will Leseberg double that brought home Wyatt Heikes and Kneifl with the game-ending runs.
Heikes and Kneifl both had two of Wayne’s seven hits in the game. Kneifl and Leseberg each drove in two and Redden, Heikes and Kneifl each scored runs. Jase Dean also had a hit and a run scored.
Wayne was at Crofton Tuesday and home to host Battle Creek on Wednesday. They play at Columbus Lakeview on Friday, Wakefield on Monday and Albion on Tuesday before coming back home next Wednesday, June 7, to host Hartington.
