The Wayne Blue Devils are taking a road trip to challenge the Central City/Centura Kernels at 11:00 a.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Wayne sitting on five straight wins and Central City/Centura on 11.
On Thursday, Wayne made easy work of Tekamah-Herman and carried off an 11-1 victory. The result was nothing new for the Blue Devils, who have now won six matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Jaxson Kneifl
| 04/17/25 vs Tekamah-Herman | 3 |
| 04/11/25 vs York | 1 |
| 04/04/25 @ Roncalli Catholic | 1 |
| 04/03/25 vs South Sioux City | 1 |
| 04/01/25 @ Douglas County West | 1 |
Jaxson Kneifl made a big impact no matter where he played. He tossed five innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in seven consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with three stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. Those three stolen bases gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Alex Rodriguez was a standout: he went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. That triple marked the first that he has hit this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Drew Reinhardt, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs and one RBI.
Wayne kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 12 hits in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Central City/Centura got the win against Lincoln Lutheran on Thursday by a conclusive 10-4. The result was nothing new for the Kernels, who have now won ten games by six runs or more so far this season.
The team relied heavily on Colter Lueders, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Central City/Centura pushed their record up to 11-0 with the win, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.4 runs on average over those games. As for Wayne, their record now sits at 12-5.
Wayne might still be hurting after the 15-4 defeat they got from Central City/Centura in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Blue Devils avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
