PIERCE -- The Wayne American Legion Post 43 Seniors are 2-0 after a pair of successful outings in the Class B American Legion Seniors state tournament at Legion Field.
Wayne opened the eight-team, double-elimination tournament on Saturday with a 7-4 win over York Kings Legion, overcoming three errors and getting some key hits in a four-run second inning to earn the opening-round win.
Wayne spotted York a run in the top of the first, the scored four in the second to take control of the game. Jase Dean's suicide squeeze scored Wyatt Heikes to tie the game, and Gavin Anderson followed with a one-out sacrifice bunt to plate James Dorey to give Wayne the lead for good. A two-run single by Gavin Redden to right field brought home two more runs to make it a 4-1 game.
York got back to within a run in the fifth with two runs, but Wayne matched that tally in the bottom of the inning on a single to right by Aiden Liston, scoring Calvin Starzl and Devin Anderson. Wayne would repeat the match-me game in the sixth, countering a York score with an RBI double by Devin Anderson to score Redden and make it a 7-4 game.
Devin Anderson had two hits and Redden and Liston both had a hit and two RBIs to highlight Wayne's seven-hit effort. Heikes, Dorcey and Starzl also had hits. Liston threw five innings to get the win, with Heikes and Kaleb Moormeier pitching in relief.
On Sunday, the Post 43 Seniors made it 2-for-2 with a 5-1 win over Springfield Post 143, with a four-run inning again proving to be the difference.
Springfield got a run in the bottom of the first, and Wayne would tie the game in the third when Devin Anderson grounded out and Starzl came home to score after reaching on catcher's interference.
It stayed tied until the sixth when took advantage of two Springfield errors to score four runs. Dean sacrificed with the bases loaded and reached on a fielder's choice, scoring Heikes. Mason Heikes followed with an RBI single to center, scoring his brother, and Starzl singled to right to bring home James Dorcey. A fielder's choice plated Gavin Anderson, who pinch-ran for Dean, and the Wayne defense took it from there.
Springfield had a chance to make a game of it in the bottom of the seventh with runners on second and third and nobody out, but Redden got a foul pop out and struck out the net two batters to end the rally.
Redden threw a complete-game win, striking out three and walking two while allowing six hits and an unearned run in 101 pitches.
Offensively, six different players had singles with Redden, Devin Anderson, Dean, Mason Heikes and Starzl all batting in runs.
Wayne (25-8) will face Plattsmouth in a 7 p.m. winners bracket final on Monday at Legion Field in Pierce. The two losers bracket games include Springfield and Pierce at 2 p.m. and Wahoo and York at 4:30 p.m. Action continues through Wednesday.
