It’s been four years since the Wayne High softball team has made reservations for Hastings.
Friday afternoon, the Blue Devils earned their first trip to state since 2019 with a two-game sweep over Cozad Friday afternoon, winning the C-6 district title with 10-5, 11-6 wins to advance to next week’s Nebraska State Softball Championships next week.
Cozad had the hot hand early, putting together six hits to score two runs and take the early lead in the top of the second.
Wayne responded with four in the second, then added three more in the fourth to take control of the opener.
Wayne loaded the bases in the second with two walks and two singles. An RBI double by Reagan McGuire scored Liberty Titiml and Jersi Jensen, and Sammi Gubbels added a single that scored Caitlyn Mostek and McGuire to give the Blue Devils the lead for good.
In the fourth, McGuire’s sacrifice fly plated Mostek, and a two-out error brought Jordyn Gamble and Nyla Bolles home to make it 7-3.
Taytem Ellis had a two-run single in the sixth and Titiml added an RBI single to close out the scoring as Wayne took the opener.
Bolles, Mostek and Gubbels each had two hits in the win. Titiml and Mostek both scored twice and McGuire had four RBI’s. Gubbels went the distance, settling down after a shaky start to strike out four and allow one walk and 10 hits.
Wayne jumped on the Haymakers early in the finale, scoring two in the top of the first on a Delaney Kruse RBI groundout and an RBI single by Titiml to take the early lead.
An error, a Kierah Haase RBI single and a bases-loaded walk plated three runs in the second for Wayne, and they blew it open in the third, highlighted by a two-run homer by Bolles and RBI triples by Mostek and Kruse.
Mackenzie Nissen pitched a two-hitter, striking out two and walking two. She encouraged a fly ball to left field for the final out, with Haase squeezing the ball to send Wayne to state for the first time since winning the Class B title in 2019.
Haase, Ellis and Jensen each had two hits in the win. Bolles, Haase, Ellis and Jensen both scored two runs and Kruse and Titiml each had three RBI.
Wayne, 23-6, will know their opponent after the completion of two district games on Saturday. They join other district winners on Friday, including Hastings St. Cecilia (C-1), Bishop Neumann (C-3), Ashland-Greenwood (C-4), Aquinas (C-5) and Freeman (C-7).
Saturday districts include Central City hosting Malcom in C-2 and Fort Calhoun traveling to Gothenburg for the C-8 final.
First-round games for Class C at state will be announced this weekend by the NSAA and will begin play on Wednesday at 9 a.m. at the Smith Softball Complex in Hastings.
