Wayne’s team speed was on display at Districts, with the Bulldogs stealing 21 total bases in 8-0 and 11-4 wins over Clayton on April 22 to advance to the Class A-I Regionals for the second straight year.

The Bulldogs (10-13) will face host Arapaho-Butler at 11 a.m. Thursday. The winner will play the winner of the game between Wilson and Empire at 4 p.m. while the loser will face the Wilson-Empire loser.

At stake is a berth in the State tournament.

“It’s a huge accomplishment to be back-to-back District champs,” coach Shane Collins told The Register. “It hadn’t been done in about 10 years so to (go) back-to-back is big.

“We have had a lot of adversity with different rosters, slumps and injuries, and for these guys to be healthy and go get the job done is a testament to their hard work and dedication.”

In the opener, Langstyn McClendon pitched a one-hitter with six strikeouts, Sloan Jackson added a home run and two RBIs, and the Bulldogs stole six bases, including home.

Wayne scored three times in the first inning without the benefit of a hit.

Lane Lewis drew a bases-loaded walk for one run, and Jackson’s steal of home made it 2-0.

Brody Kemp scored Wayne’s third run on a balk.

Jackson and Layne Canfield led the way on the basepaths with two steals each while Lewis and Ben Fisher also swiped a base.

Canfield and Lewis combined on a one-hitter with seven strikeouts in the second game, and the Bulldogs overcame five errors.

Kemp had five of the Bulldogs’ 15 stolen bases to spark the victory, including steals of second and third base in the first inning when Wayne scored six runs.

Lewis and Levi Alexander each knocked in two runs, and Lewis and McClendon added three steals apiece.

“It’s huge for us to just find a way on base and we stress that,” Collins said. “We have gotten a lot better on the basepaths and just being aggressive and not letting free bases slip us up.

“These last couple of weeks we are 4-1 and a lot of that has been our ability to not only get on base, but score and get home, taking advantage of our speed.”