Competing over the weekend during the Class B United States Specialty Sports Association’s State Tournament in Bellevue, the Wayne Dirt Devil 18-under softball team went 1-3 in its four games, ending the club’s season with a final record of 14-12-1.
Wayne was unable to stave off elimination Saturday evening against Omaha’s Finest, losing 3-2 after falling behind early.
Kendall Dorey took the pitching loss for the Dirt Devils, surrendering three runs on four hits over five innings while striking out seven. Dorey also went 2-for-2 at the plate to lead Wayne from the batter’s box.
The Wayne 18s also dropped a close one, 1-0, earlier in the day on Saturday against the Arlington Shockwave.
Erica Brown and Dorey recorded Wayne’s two hits in the game. Arlington only had one hit in the contest, though it ended up being crucial to the final outcome.
Rachel Hobbs started the game for the Devils on the rubber and registered 12 outs over four innings. She allowed one run on four hits while striking out four Shockwave batters. Another defensive bright spot for Wayne was a double play made by Dorey to help keep Arlington off the board in the first inning.
Wayne’s lone win in the state tourney came against the Nebraska Stealth of Papillion on Friday evening. Brown threw another gem from the pitcher’s circle, allowing no runs on one hit with three K’s to help the locals shut out and shut down the Stealth, 12-0.
Wayne scored six runs in both the first and third innings and outhit its opponent, 13-1, in the one-sided affair. Kierah Haase and Hobbs both managed two hits to lead the Dirt Devils.
The Stealth’s fate was sealed in the third when Wayne’s Hope O'Reilly , Liberty Titiml, Kylen Robbins, Hailey Schroeder and Brown all moved runners across home plate with RBIs in the inning.
The Wayne girls had a hard time getting things going in their first state tournament game Friday afternoon against Hastings’ Select squad, falling 10-2.
The Devils actually held a one-run lead going into the bottom of the second. O’Reilly grounded out to bring in Hobbs in the first inning. Hobbs also scored the team’s second run in the top of the fourth.
Hobbs lasted four and two-thirds innings in losing the pitching battle for Wayne, allowing 10 runs off 14 hits while sitting four Hastings batters.
Prior to state, Wayne’s 18U took two games from the Norfolk Rogue at home last Tuesday, June 22.
The Dirt Devils snuck past the Rogue in game one, 2-1, behind hits from Logan Miller, Dorey, Hobbs, O'Reilly and Titiml.
Dorey won on the mound, tossing the softball for three innings where she struck out five Norfolk batters and didn’t allow a single hit or run. Hobbs threw the final four innings in relief, getting the last 12 outs to earn the save for Wayne.
The Devils nearly had a six-run lead erased, but they managed to hold off a Rogue rally late to take the second game, 9-7.
Wayne racked up 13 hits in the game, compared to Norfolk’s five. Taytum Sweetland, Mikaela McManigal, Aliah Schulz and Dorey all mustered up three hits to lead the local 18s.
Hobbs got the pitching save for Wayne, striking out four while surrendering two runs on one hit over two and two-thirds innings. She helped record the final eight outs to prevent the Norfolk comeback.
