COLUMBUS — Four different pitchers combined to shut down Pierce and help the Wayne American Legion Post 43 Seniors post a 9-2 win Friday afternoon in the first game of the B-4 area tournament at Pawnee Park.
Wayne took advantage of an error and a passed ball to put two up in the opening frame, then used two errors and another passed ball to make it 5-0 after the second inning.
Pierce took advantage of back-to-back walks, an error and a wild pitch to score both of their runs in the fifth inning, but Wayne was not threatened after that as they advanced in the double-elimination tournament.
Jaxson Kneifl tripled and scored two runs with two RBI in the win. Four pitchers — Aiden Liston, James Dorcey, Wyatt Heikes and Gavin Redden — combined for the win as coach Robbie Gamble limited each pitcher to 30 pitches to keep them available for future play in the tournament.
Wayne advances to a 4 p.m. game Saturday against top-seeded Battle Creek.
