The Dell Rapids 14U team won all four of their games at the Region 2A tournament in Northville bringing home the region title. The tournament was held Wednesday, July 14th through Friday, July 16th.
In their first game on Wednesday morning, Dell Rapids had no problems with Madison Maroon. Dell Rapids got out to a 7-0 lead after the first four innings. Madison scored two in the top of the fifth inning, but Dell Rapids responded with five runs in the bottom of the inning for a 12-2 win on the 10-run rule.
After a one-game break, Dell Rapids then played Volga in their second game on Wednesday. The game was tied 1-1 after two innings of play. Dell Rapids scored five times in the top of the third inning, but Volga responded with three runs to make the score 6-4. Dell Rapids then had a 10-run fourth inning and added four more in top of the fifth for a 20-4 win on the 10-run rule.
In the semifinal game on Thursday, Dell Rapids played the host team Warner-Ipswich-Northville (WIN). Dell Rapids scored five runs in the first two innings for a 5-0 lead. WIN picked up a run in the top of the third, but Dell Rapids also scored a run to keep the lead at five runs, 6-1. WIN scored three times in the top of the fifth inning, and Dell Rapids held on to a 6-4 lead after five innings. Dell Rapids then scored eight times in the bottom of the sixth inning to end the game on the 10-run rule 14-4.
WIN battled back to make it to the championship game on Friday to play Dell Rapids once again. This time Dell Rapids’ offense scored in every inning. WIN scored the first two runs in the top of the first, but Dell Rapids had six runs in the bottom of the inning and three more in the bottom of the second for a 9-2 lead. Dell Rapids then outscored WIN 9-1 the rest of the game for a 18-3 win in four innings on the 15-run rule to win the region championship.
Cole Ruesink had 12 hits over the four games including five doubles and a triple along with six RBIs. Lincoln Fersdahl had 11 hits, with five doubles and a triple to go with 15 RBIs. Talan Millage had seven hits, one of them a double, and three RBIs. Grady Lamer had five hits, including one double, and one RBI. Tad Tjaden finished with five hits, with two doubles, and two RBIs. Logan Donovan had four singles and three RBIs. Cooper Frost had three hits, one a double, and four RBIs. Kenny Swanson had three hits and four RBIs. Quinn Carr had three singles and five RBIs. Brandon Schmidt had two hits, one double, and an RBI. Ethan Vanderwerf had a hit and an RBI.
Fersdahl also pitched 5 2/3 innings in the tournament allowing one earned run on one hit with six walks and 10 strikeouts. Carr pitched five innings giving up three earned runs on three hits with five walks and 11 strikeouts. Tjaden also pitched five innings allowing four runs, three earned, on six hits with four walks and eight strikeouts. Ruesink had 2 1/3 innings pitched giving up three runs, two earned, on one hit and one walk with three strikeouts. Frost pitched an inning giving up two runs, one earned, on two hits with three walks. Millage pitched an inning giving up one hit and striking out one.
Dell Rapids will now play in the 2021 South Dakota VFW 14U Class A State Tournament in Vermillion Friday, July 23rd through Sunday, July 25th. They will play Vermillion at 7:30 p.m. on Friday in their opening game.