Dell Rapids and West Central high school baseball teams last met in the 2021 championship game with Dell Rapids winning 9-2. The two teams met for the first time in the 2022 season in Humboldt on Sunday, April 24th. Dell Rapids won the rematch 9-5.
Dell Rapids scored the first five runs on the game. Treyse Eastman scored on a passed ball in the top of the first inning for an early 1-0 lead. Eastman then hit an RBI single, CJ Smith scored on an error, and Landon Ruesink hit an RBI sacrifice fly in the top of the second to increase the lead to 4-0. Aiden Boechler crossed home on a wild pitch in the top of the third, and Ruesink had an RBI single in the top of the fourth to give Dell Rapids a 6-0 lead.
West Central then made a run of their own. Zach Madsen had an RBI double in the bottom of the fourth inning. The score remained 6-1 until the bottom of the sixth. Madsen hit a two-run home run to cut the lead to 6-3. Gage Nelson scored on a passed ball later in the inning, and Jack Linneman had an RBI single to make the score 6-5 heading into the seventh.
Dell Rapids got three big runs in their half of the seventh. Boechler hit a ground ball that scored Ruesink and Henry on an error. Boechler later scored on a wild pitch to give Dell Rapids a 9-5 lead. West Central was retired in order in the bottom of the seventh to end the game.
Madsen had three hits, including a home run and double, with three RBI to lead West Central. Grafton Stroup had two hits. Linneman had a single and RBI. Andrew Zimmer and Logan Maras both had hits as well. Braden Herr pitched four innings allowing six runs, three earned, on six hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Owen Heath pitched 2 2/3 innings allowing three runs, all unearned, on two hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Brodie Herr pitched 1/3 of an inning recording a strikeout.
Ruesink had two hits and two RBIs for Dell Rapids. Eastman also had two hits and an RBI. Boechler had a triple with two RBIs. Henry, Dylan Mathis, and Will Jaton all had singles as well. Henry took the win on the mound pitching 5 2/3 innings allowing five runs, all earned, on seven hits with three walks and 14 strikeouts. Ruesink pitched the final 1 1/3 innings giving up just one hit while striking out two.
Dell Rapids improves to 5-1 on the season, while West Central falls to 2-2.