The Wayne Dirt Devils 18-under softball team survived a must-win final game to claim the ASA Class C state title Sunday afternoon at Smith Softball Complex in Hastings.
The Wayne team won five straight games to reach the finals, where they suffered their only loss in a 4-2 loss to the Holdrege Force, who came from the losers bracket to reach the finals.
The first-game loss forced a winner-take-all second game, and Wayne posted an 8-2 win to take the title and end the summer season with a 33-13-1 record.
Wayne scored its only runs of the first game in the top of the first inning when Kierah Haase singled home Taytem Ellis and Liberty Titiml. Holdrege tied the game with single runs in the second and fourth, then scored two to take the win and force the second game as both teams had one loss in the double-elimination tournament.
Batting first again in the second game, Wayne broke a scoreless tie with three runs in the third. Holdrege got within a run with two in the bottom of the fourth, but Wayne responded with five in the fifth to put the game out of reach.
In the third, Wayne broke the ice when Caitlyn Mostek’s ground ball was mishandled, allowing Titiml and Rylin Hall to come home. On the next play, Haase singled to the left side of the infield and a throwing error brought Delaney Kruse home to score.
In the fifth, Titiml’s sacrifice bunt was thrown away, scoring Ellis all the way from first. Kruse followed with an RBI single to bring home Titiml to make it 5-2. Another Holdrege error scored Kruse and Sami Gubbels followed with a two-run single, scoring Mostek and Haase for the final runs of the game.
Wayne outhit Holdrege 10-3 in the finale, highlighted by Kruse’s 3-for-4 effort with two runs scored. Haase and Gubbels both drove in two runs and Titiml scored twice. Jordyn Gamble pitched the complete-game victory, scattering three hits and a walk while striking out three. Both Holdrege runs were unearned.
