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.