Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media, Author at Big Sioux Media Sports Network

Sixth Inning Rally Leads to Victory for West Central 16U

July 25, 2022 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

West Central had a four-run sixth inning rally to earn a 7-3 win over Tri-Valley at the Region 3A tournament in Humboldt on Monday, July 25th. The four-run rally broke a 3-3 tie.

After three innings of scoreless baseball, West Central scored three times in the bottom of the fourth. Landen Holewa scored the first run on a wild pitch. Will Nester then scored on an error by the catcher. Bubba Kono scored the third run on an error for a 3-0 lead. Tri-Valley would get a run in the top of the fifth inning and then tied the game with two runs in the top of the sixth.

West Central’s first four batters reached in the inning to spark their rally. Cain Grocott had an RBI single. Jonathan Murry was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Jesse Jost was walked with the bases loaded, and Holewa was also hit by a pitch with the bases loaded for the fourth run.

Holewa had two hits and an RBi. Grocott had a single and an RBi. Keaton Vessells added a double. Maison Schuldt pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed two runs, one earned, on five hits and two walks with six strikeouts. Jack Sebert pitched 1 1/3 innings and allowed an unearned run on a hit and walk with two strikeouts.

Tri-Valley 16U Season Ends in Regions

July 25, 2022 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The Tri-Valley 16U baseball season ended with two losses in the Region 3A tournament in Humboldt on Monday, July 25th. Tri-Valley lost games to West Central and Madison.

West Central 7, Tri-Valley 3

West Central scored four times in the bottom of the sixth to break a 3-3 tie and advance in the Region 3A tournament. The game was scoreless for the first three innings. West Central got on the board first with three runs in the bottom of the fourth.

Tri-Valley scored once in the top of the fifth. Benjamin Myhre reached on an error that scored Hunter Foster. Tri-Valley then tied the game, 3-3, after two runs in the top of the sixth. Carter Sorenson drove home two with a single. West Central had the first four batters reach base in the bottom of the sixth, scoring two times. They added two more runs with just one out to build a 7-3 lead for the win.

Sorenson had two hits and two RBIs in the game. Ledger Burggraff also had two hits. Alex Wingen and Levi Kretzschmar both had a single. Wingen pitched 4 2/3 innings and allowed three runs, none earned, on one hit and four walks with seven strikeouts. Sorenson pitched 1/3 of an inning and allowed four earned runs on two hits and two walks with one strikeout. Everett Althoff pitched one inning and allowed one hit and one walk.

Madison 16, Tri-Valley 1

In the first elimination game of the tournament, Madison jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the top of the first inning. Sorenson had a double and later scored in the bottom of the first for Tri-Valley to cut the lead to 3-1. Madison scored one run in the second and third innings to lead 5-1 after three innings. They would deliver the knock-out blow with 11 runs in the top of the fourth.

Sorenson finished with a double. Wingen and Althoff each had a single. Althoff pitched three innings and allowed 10 runs, six earned, on eight hits and four walks with three strikeouts. Lofswold gave up an earned run on two hits and two walks. Cyrus Kirstein pitched 1/3 of an inning and allowed five earned runs on three hits and two walks. Sorenson pitched 2/3 of an inning and recorded two strikeouts.

Gamecocks One Win Away from State Tournament

July 25, 2022 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The Humboldt/Hartford Gamecocks are one win away from the state tournament after winning their first District 4B game on Saturday, July 23rd. The Gamecocks took an 11-1 win over the Salem Cubs at Rickeman Field in Dell Rapids.

Salem scored the first run of the game in the top of the first without the luxury of a hit. The Gamecocks then scored the next 11 runs, scoring in five of the seven innings played. Humboldt/Hartford had a total of 13 hits while holding Salem to just one.

Broc Haldeman had three hits and an RBI. Brandon McKnight finished with two hits and an RBI. Seth Cavanaugh and Noah Vettrus both had a hit and two RBIs. Drew Garry and Chad Morrison each had a single and RBI. Joe Hanisch and Kyle Bailey both had a hit as well.

McKnight pitched six innings and allowed an earned run on one hit and two walks with five strikeouts. Landry Knight pitched the final inning and recorded two strikeouts.

The Gamecocks will play Flandreau on Tuesday, July 26th at 6:00 p.m. in Dell Rapids.

Dell Rapids PBR Currently 1-1 in District Play

July 25, 2022 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Dell Rapids PBR is currently 1-1 in district play after two games and still has a shot at qualifying for the state tournament. PBR won their District 4B opening round game on Friday, July 22nd, but lost their next game on Saturday, July 23rd at Rickeman Field.

Dell Rapids PBR 11, Colman A’s 6

PBR broke a 6-6 tie with a big, five-run top of the ninth to get an 11-6 win over the Colman A’s on Friday.

Teagan Schlimgen had an RBI double, and Grant Sweeter had an RBI single in the top of the second inning to give PBR a 2-0 lead. Colman got the game tied 2-2 after getting a single run in the bottom of the second and third innings. Dell Rapids scored the next three runs. Weston Hanson had an RBI single in the top of the fifth. Riley Hoffman added an RBI double, and Hanson had an RBI ground out in the top of the sixth to make the score 5-2.

Colman got one run back in the bottom of the sixth inning, and Dell Rapids led 5-3 after six innings of play. Schlimgen started the top of seventh with a solo home run to center field to the PBR lead to 6-3. Colman, however, scored two times in the bottom of the seventh and then one more in the eighth to tie the game 6-6.

PBR then broke the game open in the top of the ninth, scoring five times all with two outs. Beau Behrend and Schlimgen both had a bases-loaded walk. Trey Randel brought home the other three runs with a double.

Schlimgen had three hits, one home run and one double, and three RBIs. Hoffman finished with three doubles and an RBI. Hanson had two hits and two RBIs. Sweeter added two singles and an RBI. Randel had a double and three RBIs. Andrew Barr finished with two hits. Tim Wilhelmsen and Tanner Solberg both had one hit each. Behrend finished with an RBI.

Randel pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed five runs, four earned, on nine hits and four walks with eight strikeouts. Hoffman pitched 2 2/3 innings and allowed an earned run on four hits and two walks with a strikeout.

Lennox 11, Dell Rapids PBR 0

The offense for PBR was held to just two hits against Lennox on Saturday, July 23rd. Lennox scored in five of the seventh innings and got the win on the 10-run rule.

Barr and Sweeter each had a hit for the only two hits for PBR. Behrend pitched four innings and allowed seven earned runs on 10 hits and two walks. Sweeter pitched two innings and allowed four earned runs on five hits and one walk.

PBR will play against the Dell Rapids Mudcats on Thursday, July 28th at 6:00 p.m. The winner will qualify for the state tournament. The loser will have two more chances to win one game to qualify for state.

West Central 14U Finishes Third at State

July 25, 2022 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The West Central 14U baseball team finished third at the 2022 South Dakota VFW Class A State Tournament in Winner. The tournament was held Friday, July 22nd through Sunday, July 24th.

West Central 6, Flandreau 5

The opening game on Friday was a close one for West Central against Flandreau. West Central was able to hold off a five-run rally by Flandreau to get the win.

Dylan Bettcher scored on a wild pitch in the top of the second inning to give West Central a 1-0 lead. Anthony Lanham had an RBI triple, CJ DenBoer had an RBI single, and Bettcher drove home another run in the top of third to extend the lead to 4-0. Bettcher then scored on an error in the top of the fifth, and West Central led 5-0.

Flandreau got two runs in the bottom of the fifth to make the score 5-2. DenBoer had an RBI sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth to push the lead to 6-2. Flandreau scored three times in the bottom of the sixth cutting the lead to one, 6-5. Flandreau got two walks in the bottom of the seventh and had the tying run on second, but could not advance the runner further.

Bettcher had three hits and an RBI. DenBoer had two hits and two RBIs. Lanham finished with two hits, one a triple, and an RBI. Nick Lorang and Alex Siemonsma both had a single. Jack Sebert pitched six innings and allowed five earned runs on eight hits with five strikeouts. Lanham pitched one inning and had two walks with one strikeout.

Lennox 2, West Central 1

In the semifinal round, West Central fell to the eventual state champions in a hard-fought 2-1 game on Saturday. West Central got a run on an RBI single by Lorang in the top of the second inning. The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the fourth. Lennox got two runs with two outs to take a 2-1 lead. West Central tried to tie the game in the top of the fifth, but Hayes Cain was thrown out at the plate on a ground ball to third base.

Lorang finished with a hit and an RBI. Bettcher had two hits. Cain and DenBoer each had a single. Lanham pitched six innings and allowed two runs, both unearned, on six hits and two walks with five strikeouts.

West Central 22, Mobridge 8

West Central turned a 5-5 tie after four innings into a 22-8 win on Sunday to take third place over Mobridge. Both teams scored a single run in the first, two runs in the third and two runs in fourth for a 5-5 tie score after four innings.

West Central then scored two times in the top of the fifth inning and then 10 runs in the top of the sixth for a 17-5 lead. Mobridge avoided the 10-run rule with three runs in the bottom of the sixth, but that gave West Central another inning of offense. They scored five more times in the top of the seventh.

DenBoer had three hits, including a home run and double, with three RBIs. Lanham also had three hits, one a triple, and three RBIs. Sebert finished with two hits, one double, and three RBIs. Lorang also had two hits and three RBIs. Taten VanOverbeke finished with two singles and two RBIs. Jacob Kono had a double with three RBIs. Cain added two hits. Jacob Mallinger had a single, and Siemonsma had an RBI.

DenBoer pitched 3 1/3 innings and allowed five runs, three earned, on three hits and six walks with seven strikeouts. Siemonsma pitched 3 2/3 innings and allowed three runs, two earned, on a hit and two walks with one strikeout.

Hartford/Humboldt Legion Heading to State

July 25, 2022 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The Hartford/Humboldt legion baseball team is headed to the state tournament after winning their regional tournament on Saturday, July 23rd. Hartford/Humboldt won the championship game against Lake Norden by a score of 7-5.

Neither team scored in the opening inning of the game. Lake Norden put together a four-run bottom of the second and led 4-0. Hartford/Humboldt then scored in the next three innings. Loren Jacobson had an RBI single in the top of the third. Gavin Koch scored on an error, Logan Maras scored on a wild pitch, and Deuce Sherrard and Gage Nelson both scored on an error in the top of the fourth to give Hartford/Humboldt a 5-4 lead. They would add two more runs in the top of the fifth on a two-run single by Sherrard. Lake Norden got one run in the bottom of the seventh.

Sherrard and Bennett Sebert both had a single and two RBIs. Jacobsen had a hit and an RBI. Connor Siemonsma finished with a double. Jack Linneman, Koch, and Maras all had a single. Derek Renken pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed five runs, one earned, on one hit and five walks with four strikeouts. Koch pitched the final 2/3 of an inning and had one walk.

Madison Gold’s Early Lead Enough in Win over Dell Rapids 16U

July 21, 2022 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Madison Gold scored all of their runs in the first two innings in a 6-2 win over Dell Rapids 16U on Thursday, July 21st.

Madison got three runs in the top of the first inning and three more in the top of the sixth inning. The score remained 6-0 through the fourth inning. Dell Rapids got on the board with two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Lincoln Fersdahl had an RBI single, and Sutton Williams had an RBI, bases loaded walk. Unfortunately, those were the only two runs in the game for Dell Rapids.

Fersdahl had two hits and an RBI. Tad Tjaden also had two hits, one a double. Cooper Frost had a double. Talan Millage added a single, and Williams finished with an RBI. Williams pitched three innings and allowed six runs, four earned, on six hits and four walks with three strikeouts. Frost pitched four innings without allowing a hit with two walks and five strikeouts.

Colton Legion Baseball Season Ends in Regions

July 21, 2022 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

i-vaThe Colton Legion baseball team had their season come to an end in region tournament play against Canvoa on Thursday, July 21st. Canova defeated Colton 13-6 in Humboldt.

Canova got off to a quick start scoring three times in the top of the first inning. Colton got one run back in the bottom of the first. Cole Focken had an RBI single. Canova, however, scored three more times in the top of the second. Joshua Lieseth reached on an error that scored Kaden Egger in the bottom of the second. Riley Carlson had an RBI single, and Colton trailed 6-3 after two innings of play.

Canova added another run in the top of third, and then Colton cut into the lead in the bottom of the inning. Lawson Louiseau had a two-run single to bring Colton within two runs. They cut the lead to 7-6 in the bottom of the fourth after Nathan Madison had a two-out RBI single. Canova was clinging to a one-run lead heading into the fifth inning. They then scored two runs in the fifth, two in the sixth, and two in the seventh while holding Colton scoreless in the final three innings.

Focken and Madison both had three hits and an RBI each. Louiseau had two hits and two RBIs. Noah Haynes had two hits. Carlson finished with a single and an RBI. Connor Christensen and Egger each had a single. Carlson pitched five innings and allowed nine runs, seven earned, on 10 hits and four walks and three strikeouts. Focken pitched 1 1/3 innings and allowed four runs, one earned, on a hit and a walk with two strikeouts. Hanyes pitched 2/3 of an inning.

Dell Rapids Legion Advances to State Tournament with Two Wins over Volga

July 21, 2022 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Dell Rapids had to win two games against Volga in the Region 2B championship on Thursday, July 21st, and that’s exactly what they did. They won the first game 11-8 to give Volga their first loss in the tournament and force a second championship game. In the second game, a grand slam by Dylan Mathis in the fourth inning pretty much sealed the deal for Dell Rapids.

Dell Rapids 11, Volga 8

Volga had a 2-1 lead through four innings of play, and then Dell Rapids’ offense came alive. Landon Ruesink had a three-run double in the top of the fifth. Jack Henry followed with an RBI triple, and Mathis had an RBI sacrifice fly to give Dell Rapids a 6-2 lead. After Volga scored one run in the bottom of the fifth, Dell Rapids added five more in the top of the sixth. Brayden Pankonen and Ruesink each had an RBI single, Henry had an RBI double, and Will Jaton had a two-run single. Volga also scored five times in the bottom of the sixth to make the score 11-8, and that’s where game one finished.

Henry had three hits, including a double and triple, with two RBIs. Pankonen had three hits and an RBI. CJ Smith also finished with three hits. Ruesink added two hits, one a double, and four RBIs. Jaton finished with two hits and two RBIs. Treyse Eastman had a two hits, one a double, and an RBI. Mathis had a single and RBI, and Mason Stubbe also had a hit.

Ruesink pitched five innings and allowed three runs, one earned, on five hits and three walks with seven strikeouts. Smith pitched 1/3 of an inning and allowed five runs, four earned, on four hits and two walks with a strikeout. Mathis pitched 2/3 of an inning. Fersdahl also pitched an inning and allowed two walks and had two strikeouts.

Dell Rapids 18, Volga 8

One big inning by Dell Rapids put them in the driver’s seat and helped punch their ticket to state. Volga scored one run in the top of the first for an early 1-0 lead. Dell Rapids had one of their two big innings in the bottom of the sixth, scoring six times. Eastman had an RBI ground out. Stubbe added an RBI single. Pankonen reached on an error that scored Aiden Boechler. Mathis and Jaton drew back-to-back bases loaded walks for a 6-1 lead.

Volga had a big inning of their own in the top of the third. They scored five times to tie the game 6-6. Dell Rapids, however, took the lead back in the bottom of the inning. Pankonen had an RBI ground out, Stubbe scored on a wild pitch, and Ruesink scored the final run of the inning to lead 9-6. Volga pulled within a run, 9-8, after two runs in the top of the fourth. And that’s when Dell Rapids’ offense exploded.

Smith started the scoring in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single. Pankonen plated two runs with a single. Henry had an RBI, bases loaded walk. Mathis then launched the very next pitch to center field for a grand slam home run to give Dell Rapids a 17-8 lead. Dell Rapids won the game on the 10-run rule in the bottom of the sixth when Jaton hit a double scoring Henry.

Jaton had two doubles and two RBIs. Smith and Stubbe both had two singles and an RBI. Mathis had a home run and five RBIs. Pankonen added a single and four RBIs. Ruesink, Henry, and Eastman all had an RBI. Boechler pitched the whole game and allowed eight runs, five earned, on two hits and eight walks with four strikeouts.

Dell Rapids Legion Wins Slugfest over Madison, Advances to Region Championship Game

July 20, 2022 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Photo taken and used with permission by Tammy Chamley

Dell Rapids punched their ticket to the Region 2B Championship with a 19-10 win over Madison on Wednesday, July 20th at Rickeman Field. Dell Rapids scored in every inning but one as the two teams combined for 24 hits and 11 errors in a slugfest.

Madison struck first with two runs in the bottom of the first. Dell Rapids tied the game in the top of the second, and after the second inning, the score was 2-2. Dell Rapids slowly started to pull away in the middle innings. They scored three times in the third. Madison countered with two in the bottom of the inning.

The fourth and fifth innings is when Dell Rapids put the pressure on Madison. Dell Rapids scored four times in the top of the fourth inning and five more in the fifth inning. Madison was only able to get one run in the bottom of the fourth. After five innings of play, Dell Rapids led 14-5. Both teams scored two runs in the sixth inning and three runs in the seventh inning.

Every starter had at least one hit and one RBI in the game for Dell Rapids. CJ Smith had two hits and three RBIs. Landon Ruesink had two hits, one a double, and two RBIs. Brayden Pankonen finished with two hits and two RBIs. Dylan Mathis had two hits, one a double, and an RBI. Treyse Eastman also had two hits and an RBI. Jack Henry had a home run and three RBIs. Aiden Boechler, Will Jaton, and Mason Stubbe all finished with a single and an RBI.

Joe Rechtenbaugh pitched 4 2/3 innings and allowed five runs, two earned, on four hits and six walks with seven strikeouts. Mathis pitched 1 1/3 innings and allowed four runs, three earned, on five hits. Braden Fersdahl pitched one inning and allowed an earned run on a hit and a walk.

Dell Rapids will get a rematch with Volga in the Region 2B championship game on Thursday, July 21st at 5:30 p.m. Dell Rapids will need to win two games against Volga to advance to the state tournament.

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