
Photo taken and used with permission by Tammy Chamley
The Dell Rapids High School club baseball team is headed back to the State B Tournament after winning two games at Rickeman Field on Monday, May 23rd and Tuesday, May 24th in the Region 3B Tournament.
Dell Rapids 10, McCook Central 0
Dell Rapids defeated McCook Central 10-0 in the opening round of the Region 3B Tournament on Monday, May 23rd. Dell Rapids scored in every inning and held McCook Central to just four hits.
Dell Rapids scored four times in first inning. Brayden Pankonen scored on a balk, Aiden Boechler had a two-run single, and Will Jaton added an RBI single. They scored three more times in the bottom of the second. Landon Ruesink had an RBI single, and Jack Henry had a two-run double. The scoring continued with two more in the third. Ruesink and Dylan Mathis both had RBI doubles. Jaton drove home the final run on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth.
Ruesink had two hits, one a double, and two RBIs. Boechler had two hits and two RBIs. Henry had a double and two RBIs. Mathis had a double and an RBI. Jaton added a single and two RBIs. Pankonen also had a hit. Tad Tjaden pitched all five innings allowing four hits and three walks while striking out three batters.
Dell Rapids 6, Lennox 3
Dell Rapids scored three runs late in the game to secure a 6-3 victory over Lennox to punch their ticket to the state tournament on Tuesday, May 24th.
Lennox got on the board first in the top of the first inning with two innings. Dell Rapids responded with three runs in the bottom of the first. Boechler had an RBI sacrifice fly, and Jaton had a two-run double to give Dell Rapids a 3-2 lead after the first inning. Lennox tied the game on an error in the top of the third.
The score remained 3-3 until the bottom of the fifth. Henry scored on an error with two outs to give the lead back to Dell Rapids. Dell Rapids added another run in the fifth when Boechler scored while Mason Stubbe was caught in a run-down. Pankonen gave Dell Rapids another run in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI bunt single.
Jaton finished with a hit and two RBIs. Pankonen had a hit and an RBI. Treyse Eastman had a triple, and Mathis had a single. Henry took the win on the mound pitching six innings allowing three runs, one earned, on two hits and four walks with seven strikeouts. Pankonen pitched the final inning allowing one hit and striking out two.
Dell Rapids will look to defend their title at the state tournament in Sioux Falls on Monday, May 30th and Tuesday, May 31st. Dell Rapids will play Parkston in the opening round at 12:00 p.m. on Monday. Parkston was the last team to beat Dell Rapids, 8-4, on April 27th.