The Dell Rapids 16U teener team took home first place in the I-29 League Tournament. They played four games from Friday, June 11th to Sunday, June 13th, winning all of them.
Dell Rapids’ only game on Friday was a 9-0 win over Hamlin. Dell Rapids got three runs in the bottom of the first inning and cruised from there as the defense held Hamlin to just one hit in the game.
Joe Rechtenbaugh had three hits, including two doubles, and three RBIs. Dylan Mathis had two hits, one a triple, and three RBIs. Brayden Pankonen and Braden Fersdahl both had a hit and RBI. Will Jaton and Kade Kremer also had hits in the game. Rechtenbaugh pitched 2 2/3 innings allowing just one hit with one walk and six strikeouts. Jaton pitched 1 1/3 innings striking out three batters. CJ Smith pitched an inning with two strikeouts, and Pankonen pitched an inning with two strikeouts.
In their first game on Saturday, Dell Rapids and Madison White were locked in a tight battle with the score remaining 0-0 through three innings. Dell Rapids broke through in the fourth inning with a run, added three more in the top of the fifth, and a sixth run in the top of the sixth for a 6-0 lead. Madison scored a couple of runs in the bottom of the sixth inning on a couple of passed balls, but Dell Rapids stopped the rally and won the game 6-2.
Pankonen had two hits, one a triple, and two RBIs. Jaton had two hits, with a double. Fersdahl, Sutton Williams, and John Mortrude all had singles in the game. Jaton pitched five innings of no-hit baseball with four walks and seven strikeouts. Fersdahl gave up two earned runs on no hits with three walks and a strikeout in one inning of work.
Dell Rapids rode a three-run first inning to a 4-1 win over Elkton in their second game on Saturday. Dell Rapids added their fourth run in the top of the fourth inning, while Elkton’s lone run came in the bottom of the fifth.
Smith had a three-hit game along with an RBI. Jaton had a triple and an RBI. Mortrude had a hit and RBI. Micah Pickard had a double, and Pankonen had a hit as well. Pankonen also pitched a six-inning complete game allowing one run, unearned, on two hits with one walk and 12 strikeouts.
The win over Elkton put Dell Rapids in the championship game on Sunday in Garretson against West Central Dell Rapids had three big innings and held off a West Central rally to take the tournament title by a score of 12-9.
West Central scored first in the bottom of the first, but Dell Rapids responded with four in the top of the second. West Central cut the lead in half with a run in the bottom of the second at 4-2. Dell Rapids then added four runs in the top of the fourth and three more in the top of the fifth for an 11-2 lead. West Central got two runs in the bottom of the fifth to make the score 11-4. Both teams got a run in the sixth inning, and Dell Rapids led 12-5 heading into the seventh. Dell Rapids was held scoreless in the inning while West Central was able to score four runs before an out was recorded, but Dell Rapids was able to regroup and shut down the rally for the win.
Jaton had a hit with two RBIs. Pankonen, Mathis, Mortrude, and Evan Nelson all had a hit and RBI. Fersdahl collected two hits. Pickard, Smith, and Aiden Geraets all had a hit. Rechtenbaugh pitched 4 1/3 innings allowing four runs, two earned, on six hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Smith pitched 2 2/3 innings allowing five runs, four earned, on four hits with two strikeouts.