The Dell Rapids Legion baseball team had three road games, all on three nights in a row, to start the 2021 season. Dell Rapids traveled to Vermillion on Tuesday, June 8th, falling by a score of 13-3. They then went to Madison on Wednesday, June 9th, again falling by a score of 13-3. The final road game of the week was at Dakota Valley, and Dell Rapids came home with a 13-7 extra inning victory.
Dell Rapids got on the board first in Vermillion. Riley Peter scored on a wild pitch in the top of the second inning. Dell Rapids took advantage of five straight walks to start the third inning. Andrew Van Dam and Caleb Kittleson had RBI bases-loaded walks for a 3-0 lead. That was all the runs Dell Rapids would get as they were actually held hitless in the game. Vermillion scored six in the bottom of the third, six more in the bottom of the fourth, and a final run in the bottom of the fifth.
Brady Larson pitched 2 2/3 innings allowing six runs, two earned, on four hits with three walks. Van Dam pitched two innings allowing seven runs, six earned, on four hits with four walks and one strikeout.
Dell Rapids had another tough game in Madison. They committed six errors and only had one hit in the game. Again they scored the first three runs, all three coming in the top of the third inning. Zeb Schumaker scored on an error, Connor Libis scored on a wild pitch, and Noah Swartwout had an RBI double for the 3-0 lead. Madison responded with five runs in the bottom of the third, five more in the bottom of the fourth, and the final three in the bottom of the fifth to win on the 10-run rule.
Landon Ruesink pitched 3 1/3 innings allowing eight runs, four earned, on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Jake Steineke pitched 1 1/3 innings allowing five runs, one earned, on two hits with three walks and one strikeout.
The offense and defense put together a solid game in the third one in as many days at Dakota Valley. Dakota Valley scored three times in the bottom of the first. Dell Rapids two two runs in the top of the third. Libis scored on a wild pitch, and Ruesink scored on an error to cut the lead to 3-2. Dakota Valley scored four times in the bottom of the third to build a 7-2 lead, but Dell Rapids chipped away throughout the game.
Schumaker had a two-run double in the top of the fourth and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Josh Deknikker. Dell Rapids tied the game in the top of the fifth when Kittleson hit a two-run double to center field. The score remained 7-7 through the seventh as well as two extra innings. In the top of the 10th, Dell Rapids scored six times. Larson had a two-run single, Bryce Sommerfeld had an RBI single, Deknikker had an RBI double, and Libis had a two-run single to give Dell Rapids the 13-7 lead and win.
Schumaker had three hits, including a double, and two RBIs. Larson, Kittleson, and Deknikker all had two hits, all with one double, and two RBIs each. Libis had a hit with two RBIs, Sommerfeld had a hit with an RBI, Ruesink finished with two doubles, and Swartwout also had a hit.
Swartwout pitched three innings allowing seven runs, three earned, on seven hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Kittleson pitched 5 1/3 innings with no runs on five hits with one walk and two strikeouts. Larson pitched the final 2/3 of an inning to earn the win while picking up a strikeout.