The Wayne Blue Devils will challenge the Ralston Rams at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
While Wayne's win against St. Paul/Palmer wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Blue Devils had just enough and edged out the Wildcats 5-3. The victory continues a trend for the Blue Devils in their matchups with the Wildcats: they've now won five in a row.
Jaxson Kneifl
| 03/19/26 vs Wahoo/Bishop Neumann | 4 |
| 03/26/26 @ Thurston-Cuming County | 3 |
| 04/09/26 @ St. Paul/Palmer | 1 |
| 03/31/26 vs Douglas County West | 1 |
Jaxson Kneifl spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on nine hits and racked up ten Ks. He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Wayne is undefeated when he allows at most one walk, but 3-5 otherwise.
At the plate, Adrian Contreras and Parker Patefield did most of the damage at the plate: Contreras got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one run, while Patefield went a perfect 1-for-1 with two stolen bases and one RBI. Chase Sturm was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI.
Meanwhile, Ralston gave up the first runs on Tuesday, but they didn't let that get them down. They had just enough and edged out York 3-2.
Ralston also got a great performance from Dallas Whetzal as he struck out six batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. That's the most strikeouts Whetzal has posted since back in April of 2025.
On the hitting side, Ralston saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Landen Buechler, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI. That double marked the first that Buechler has hit this season. Another was Cade Stix, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and one run.
Ralston's win bumped their record up to 8-3. As for Wayne, they now have a winning record of 6-5.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Wayne has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Ralston struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 2.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Wayne's way against Ralston in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, as Wayne made off with a 10-0 victory. Will the Blue Devils repeat their success, or do the Rams have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
