West Central Gold 14U won one of their three games at the I-29 League tournament held in Flandreau on Friday, June 10th and Saturday, June 11th. West Central defeated Tri-Valley Maroon, but lost their games to Volga and Parker.
Volga 12, West Central Gold 6
After West Central had a 4-0 lead, Volga scored nine straight runs to earn the 12-6 win on Friday. West Central scored four times in the top of the first inning. J Steckley drew a bases-loaded walk. C DenBoer scored on a passed ball. J Mallinger followed with an RBI single, and C Nelson also had an RBI single.
The lead was short-lived though. Volga scored five times in the bottom of the first inning for a 5-4 lead. Volga added three more in the second and another in the third for a 9-4 lead. West Central got two more runs in the top of the fourth. DenBoer reached on an error that scored a run, and L Maske scored on a seal of home to cut the lead to 9-6. Volga, however, scored three more in the bottom of the inning for the win.
Nelson and Mallinger each had a hit and an RBI. DenBoer had two hits. Steckley had an RBI. H Whiting pitched two innings and allowed nine runs, five earned, on seven hits and three walks with a strikeout. K Olson also pitched two innings and allowed three earned runs on three hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
West Central Gold 8, Tri-Valley Maroon 5
West Central scored seven runs in the final two innings to take an 8-5 victory in extra innings over Tri-Valley on Friday.
DenBoer drove home the first run on a double in the top of the first inning. The score remained 1-0 until Tri-Valley scored four times in the bottom of the third. West Central had a big top of the fifth inning. Whiting hit an RBI single. DenBoer added another run with an RBI double. An error by Tri-Valley led to two runs that gave West Central a 5-4 lead. Tri-Valley was able to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth, 5-5, to force extra innings.
In the top of the sixth inning, Maske scored on a passed ball. Whiting scored another run after stealing home, and Olson drove home the third run of the inning on an RBI single.
DenBoer had two doubles and two RBIs. Whiting had three hits, including a double, and an RBI. Olson had a single and RBI. Mallinger, C Mebius, Steckley, and Maske all had hits in the game. Mebius pitched three innings and allowed four runs, three earned, on four hits and a walks with four strikeouts. DenBoer pitched an inning and allowed an earned run on two hits and a walk and had one strikeout. Olson pitched an inning and recorded a strikeout. Mallinger pitched an inning and allowed one hit.
Parker 8, West Central Gold 3
Parker broke a 3-3 tie and scored five unanswered runs for an 8-3 win on Saturday.
Parker scored one run in the top of the first inning, but West Central got two in their half of the inning. Mallinger reached on an error that also scored Kono. Maske was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to give West Central a 2-1 lead. Parker got two runs in the top of the third. DenBoer tied the game in the bottom of the third when he scored on an error.
Parker then scored a run in the fourth inning, but added four more in the top of the fifth to put the game out of reach.
Steckley had two hits. DenBoer finished with a double. Olson had a hit, and Maske had an RBI. Steckley pitched four innings and allowed four runs, three earned, on five hits and a walk with five strikeouts. Mallinger pitched 2/3 of an inning and gave up two hits while striking out one. DenBoer pitched 1/3 of an inning and allowed four unearned runs on no hits.