With only 12 total teams registered in 16U Class A in South Dakota VFW baseball, it was decided to break those teams into two regions of six teams each. Four of the six teams in each region would qualify for the state tournament.
After a loss in the opening round on Monday, Dell Rapids 16U rebounded with a 13-2 victory over Tea in their first game on Tuesday, July 27th. That win put Dell Rapids into the state tournament as one of the top four teams from Region 2A.
Tea scored first in the bottom of the first inning, but Dell Rapids then scored 10 unanswered runs over the next three innings, including an eight-run top of the fourth. Dell Rapids would get three more runs in the top of the fifth inning.
Braden Fersdahl had two hits, a triple and a double, with two RBIs. Brayden Pankonen had a hit and three RBIs. Joe Rechtenbaugh had a double and two RBIs. CJ Smith finished with a single and two RBIs. Will Jaton, Sutton Williams and Ethan Kringen all had a hit in the game as well. Jaton pitched the five inning complete game allowing two runs, neither of them earned, on two hits with one walk and seven strikeouts.
After the win earlier in the day, Dell Rapids faced Volga in the final game of the day at Rickeman Field. Volga jumped out to a six run lead after the first two innings. Dell Rapids tried to climb back into the game getting a run in the top of the third, two more in the fourth, and one in the fifth to cut the lead to 6-4. Volga, however, scored three times in the bottom of the fifth inning and then had another three-run inning in the bottom of the sixth for a 12-5 victory.
John Mortrude had three hits and an RBI. Aiden Boechler had two hits, one of them a double, and two RBIs. Williams had two hits. Pankonen also had a hit in the game. Jaton finished with an RBI. Fersdahl pitched three innings allowing six earned runs on six hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Smith pitched three innings also allowing six earned runs on five hits and two walks.
Dell Rapids will play in the 2021 South Dakota 16U Class A state tournament held in Madison August 6th through 8th.