With only just a couple of practices under their belts due to the weather, the Dell Rapids High School baseball team opened up their 2019 season with a game on Sunday, March 31st and Monday, April 1st.
After trying to get opening game of the season played on Saturday, March 30th, Dell Rapids was finally able to get on the field at Ronken Field on the campus of Augustana University in Sioux Falls on Sunday. Dell Rapids opened up their season with a game against Baltic.
Despite the lack of practice time, Dell Rapids was able to get a 6-4 extra-inning win over Baltic. Dell Rapids scored the first three runs of the game in the first two innings on just one hit. They scored two runs in the first on wild pitches, and Logan Stone drove in the third run on an RBI single in the second for a 3-0 lead. Baltic cut the lead to 3-2 on a couple of RBI singles in the bottom of the third inning by Avery Nordbye and Cobain Goehring. Jake Steineke added an RBI single in the top of the 5th to give Dell Rapids a 4-2 lead, but Baltic responded with an RBI triple by Nordbye. Nordbye later scored on an error to make it 4-4 after five innings of play. The game remained tied at 4-4 after seven innings of play, so the two teams headed to extra innings. Brandon Geraets scored on an error, and Ty Wood scored on a wild pitch in the top of the eighth inning to give Dell Rapids the 6-4 lead. Baltic was held scoreless in the bottom of the inning as Dell Rapids hung on for the win.
Steineke started on the mound for Dell Rapids pitching four innings while giving up four runs, just one earned, on five hits with no walks and five strikeouts. Austin Henry earned the win pitching the other four innings while giving up no runs on a hit with four walks and three strikeouts.
Dell Rapids then played Sioux Falls Lincoln on Monday in less than ideal baseball conditions. With the wind blowing, temperatures in the mid 30s, and snow falling, Dell Rapids fell the SF Lincoln by a score of 12-0.
Neither team was able to get a hit through the first two innings of play. SF Lincoln finally broke through with one out in the top of the third inning. After a walk and then a batter reaching on a dropped third strike, SF Lincoln five straight balls in play and scored five times for a 5-0 lead. The offensive momentum continued as they added three more runs in the fourth inning and four more in the fifth. Dell Rapids was held to just one hit, a single by Jake Rechtenbaugh, with the game ending after five innings at 12-0.
Eddie Price took the loss for Dell Rapids pitching three innings while giving up five runs, all earned, on four hits with three walks and eight strikeouts. Rechtenbaugh pitched an inning giving up three runs, two earned, on four hits with two strikeouts. Wood, Kaeden Eastman, and Gabe Skonseng also all pitched.
Dell Rapids (1-1) will travel to Hartford to take on West Central on Friday, April 5th. The varsity game will start at 5:30 p.m. with the JV to follow.