The Wayne Blue Devils are taking a road trip to take on the Norfolk Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Wayne is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.5 runs per game this season.
Wayne took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Saturday. They walked away with a 5-1 victory over Omaha South.
Gavin Redden spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on five hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.
Brodey Munter
| 04/26/25 vs Omaha South | 2 |
| 04/17/25 vs Tekamah-Herman | 1 |
| 04/15/25 @ Thurston-Cuming County | 1 |
| 04/04/25 @ Roncalli Catholic | 1 |
On the hitting side, Wayne got a big performance out of Brodey Munter, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two doubles, one run, and one RBI. Those two doubles gave Munter a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaxson Kneifl, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases.
Wayne hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least three batters in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Norfolk ultimately got the result they hoped for on Tuesday. They came out on top against Lincoln Northeast by a score of 6-3.
Ethan Synovec made a splash no matter where he played. He struck out seven batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. He is becoming a predictor of Norfolk's success: when he allows at most one earned run the team is 2-1 (and 3-11 when he doesn't). Synovec was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and one run.
Synovec wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Maddox Magnussen, who went 1-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Wayne pushed their record up to 14-8 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. As for Norfolk, their win ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 5-12.
Wayne was able to grind out a solid victory over Norfolk in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, winning 6-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Blue Devils since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
