The Wayne American Legion Post 43 Seniors ran the table and finished off the Ralph Bishop League tournament title with a 12-0 shutout of Oakland-Craig on Saturday in Wakefield.
After two scoreless innings, Wayne exploded for six runs in the third inning, highlighted by a two-run double by Brooks Kneifl and RBI hits by Wyatt Heikes and Aiden Liston.
Wayne would add four more in the fourth, starting with a steal of home by Heikes, who led off the inning with a triple. Kaden Keller scored on a passed ball, James Dorcey came home on a groundout and Jase Dean brought Liston home with a sacrifice fly to make it 10-0.
Wayne added two more in the fifth on an RBI double by Heikes, scoring Gavin Redden, and a Dorcey groundout that plated Heikes with the final run of the game.
Heikes had a big day for the Seniors, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBIs with a double and a triple on the day. Kneifl and Liston added doubles. Redden and Liston both scored twice and Kneifl had two RBIs.
Kneifl was almost untouchable in getting the pitching win. Eleven of Oakland’s 15 outs came via the strikeout and he scattered three hits and one walk for the win.
Wayne reached the finals with a 10-2 home win over Pierce on Friday.
Wayne scored in all five innings, breaking the game open with three in the third and three more in the fourth.
Liston had two doubles to highlight the 11-hit effort, while Dorcey and Calvin Starzl also had doubles. Redden, Dorcey, Liston and Starzl all had two hits, Redden and Heikes each scored twice and Dorcey and Liston both had two RBIs.
Dorcey went the distance on the mound for Wayne, striking out three and allowing four hits and four walks.
In Tuesday’s quarterfinal, Wayne posted a 9-0 home shutout against Crofton, limiting the visitors to just one hit in the five-inning game.
Kneifl, Dean, Kaleb Moormeier and Devin Anderson all had doubles as part of a seven-hit effort. Kneifl and Liston teamed up for the pitching win, combining for seven strikeouts and one hit and one walk allowed.
The 16-6 Seniors hosted Wisner-Pilger-Howells-Dodge in action Wednesday, their final tuneup before area play which starts next week at Columbus Lakeview.
