Having already secured a state softball tournament berth the week prior, the Wayne 14-under Dirt Devils used this past week to pad their resume a little bit, claiming the Logan Valley League championship during tournament action over the weekend in Scribner. In their final game of a busy Championship Sunday (five games against just two different opponents), the Wayne girls (19-7) used whatever gas they had left in the tank to take down the Fremont Force for the second-straight time in three matchups against the Force that day. The Devils scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth to take the game – and the league title – with a 3-2 victory.
In the final for Wayne, Taytem Ellis (triple, two singles), Kierah Haase (two singles) and Lily Gubbels (single) led the Dirt Devil bats. Sammi Gubbels pitched for five strikeouts. The Wayne 14s needed to beat the Fremont Force twice to win the tournament and, despite this being their fourth game in a row – with little to no rest in between – the Devils reached the sudden-death final with an 11-0 win over Fremont Sunday evening. Wayne scored no fewer than three runs in each of the first three innings to cruise into the night’s tourney-deciding contest. Leading the Dirt Devil hitting brigade once again was Ellis (triple, two singles), Rylin Hall and Jersi Jensen (both doubled and singled). Caitlin Mostek (two), Carli Canham, S. Gubbels and Haase all reached first base on hits as well. S. Gubbels threw the softball in this outing as well, sitting three, walking three and allowing just one hit.
Game three on Sunday was another blowout for Wayne, this time a 12-2 decision over the Oakland Rockets. Jensen had the hot bat for the local girls in this one with a double and a pair of singles. Hall tripled and singled, and Delaney Kruse also wound up on third base on a big hit. Others recording singles for Wayne were L. Gubbels, Haase, Ellis and Canham. Handling the pitching for the Devils this time out were S. Gubbels (one K, two hits allowed) and Hall, who walked two Oakland batters. The only loss for Wayne in the tournament came against the Fremont Force in Sunday’s second game for the local 14s. The Wayne girls fell two runs shy to Fremont this time out, 6-4, which meant they would have to defeat the Force twice later on in order to win the league championship.
Hall tripled, S. Gubbels doubled and Haase singled in the loss. In the pitcher’s circle, S. Gubbels sat seven batters, walked three and allowed six hits. Sunday’s morning game saw the Oakland Rockets put up a fight before eventually falling to the Wayne girls, 4-3, thanks to three runs in the final two innings for the 14U Devils. Ellis hit a pair of doubles, and Haase registered a double and a single to lead the Wayne bats. L. Gubbels (two), Canham and Hall also recorded singles in the stat chart. Hall got the pitching start in this game, with three strikeouts, one walk and two hits allowed. S. Gubbels came in to sit two Oakland batters while giving up two hits in relief.
Wayne got off to a hot start in the tournament on Saturday morning, shutting down West Point, 12-0, in just three innings. S. Gubbels, Mostek and Kruse all singled in the win. Hall pitched for two K’s, walking two and giving up just one hit. Prior to the weekend tournament, Wayne traveled to Norfolk last Tuesday, June 15, to take on Kelly’s 14U in a doubleheader. In the first game, sparked by a nine-run first inning, the Dirt Devils were able to hold off a late Norfolk rally to claim the “W,” 12-9.
The hitting highlight for Wayne was an inside the park home run from Haase, who also contributed two singles in the ball game. Kruse had both a triple and a double for the local girls, and Charli Sievers, S. Gubbels, Hall, Mostek and Ellis all singled in the win. Hall also handled the pitching duties for the Dirt Devils, allowing four hits. Kelly’s didn’t put up as much of a fight in the second contest, as Wayne took care of business and came away with a 16-2 victory. Earning hits this time out were S. Gubbels and Mostek (three singles each), Kruse (double, single), Sievers (two singles), Haase (double), L. Gubbels (double) and Ellis with a single. On the mound for the pitching win was S. Gubbels, who sat three batters, walked three and allowed three hits.
Wayne was scheduled to host Pender for two games Tuesday night and will welcome Norfolk’s Golden Girls to town tonight (Thursday) for a doubleheader that starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Wayne Summer Sports Complex. The Dirt Devils will then compete in a triangular at Wisner this coming Tuesday. They’ll square off with Wisner at 5 p.m. with another game against Logan View to follow.
