WAKEFIELD — The Wayne Rolling Hills Supply Post 43 Senior Legion baseball team won the 2025 edition of the Max Grieve Wooden Bat Tournament at Eaton Field on Sunday night with a resounding 10-0 win over the Pender Frontier Bank Post 55 Seniors.

Malcolm won the juniors side of the tournament with an 8-0 win over the Irish Juniors from O’Neill.

Post 43 took a while to get going, but once it got the bats started, things really picked up.

“Pender is a really good team, well-coached and good pitching,” said Rolling Hills Supply coach Robbie Gamble. “We finally settled in and started hitting the ball.”

Wayne scored three runs in the third, four in the fourth and then sealed the game by plating three runs in the sixth. That was all Gavin Redden needed — in fact, nine more runs than he needed.

Redden went the distance on the mound for Rolling Hills Supply, scattering five hits over his six innings of work, striking out seven and walking none while tossing the shutout.

Former Norfolk Legion player Ethan Synovec had quite a night at the plate going 3 for 4, scoring three times, driving in four runs and hitting a towering home run to right-center field in the four-run fourth.

“I knew I hit it well, but I didn’t know I hit it that well,” said Synovec of his blast. “It felt really good when I saw it clear the fence. It was my first one of the summer.”

Synovec and Hayden Kelley joined Rolling Hills after Norfolk decided against fielding a team this summer.

“These guys have been great since we’ve decided to come here,” Synovec said. “They are great guys and great teammates. They gave us a place to play, and I don’t think it could have worked out any better.”

“It’s a blessing to give these kids a chance to play baseball,” Gamble said. “Pierce got some of the players and we got Ethan and Hayden. Our board met and we were just concerned with giving these kids a chance to play baseball. It’s working out real good for everyone.”

In the top of the fourth with Post 43 leading 3-0, Brayden Rajee-Hallgren singled on a line drive into center field with one out.

Jaxson Kneifl worked a walk, then Kaleb Moormeier rifled a ground ball into left field, which scored Rajee-Hallgren and left Kneifl on second.

Synovec came to the plate after a fielder’s choice out and launched an 0-1 pitch over the Eaton Field fence to push the advantage to 7-0.

“This is our third time in the finals at this tournament in the past four years, I think,” Gamble said. “It’s a step for us. This tournament, our league tournament, our area, those are all steps we want to take.

“Coach (Gary) Redden and I have been talking, and we think we have the team to really take the one step we’ve been missing. Our pitching has been solid all season, but now we’re starting to hit the ball. If we keep hitting the ball this way, we’ll be a tough out all season.”

Back-to-back singles in the third frame by Kneifl and Moormeier set the table for Synovec with two outs.

Synovec singled past the third baseman to chase Kneifl home, then Kelley walked to load the bases.

Drew Reinhardt hit a shot back up the middle to score Moormeier and Synovec, and Post 43 was up 3-0.

Rolling Hills Supply scored three runs in the top of the sixth to get over the 8-run rule. Redden took it from there, getting a couple of pop flies and a strikeout after Pender’s Trevor Trimble opened the sixth with a double.

“We really don’t feel like we’ve hit our potential yet this year,” Gamble said. “We’ve got plenty of things to get better at, but I like where we are at. Like I said, this is a step towards where we want to be in the end.”

Rolling Hills Supply Post 43 003 403 — 10 10 0

Frontier Bank Post 55 000 000 — 0 6 2

WP: Gavin Redden. LP: Alex Roth. 2B: (PEN) Braylon Wegner, Trevor Trimble. HR: (WAY) Ethan Synovec.