In the first elimination game of the 2022 South Dakota Class B Legion State Tournament, Dell Rapids had a 13-run inning and defeated Hartford/Humboldt 20-4 on Saturday, July 30th.
Dell Rapids took advantage of three walks to start the game in the top of the first inning. Will Jaton had an RBI single, Jack Henry scored on a wild pitch, and Aiden Boechler had a two-run single to give Dell Rapids a 4-0 lead. Haratford/Humboldt scored three times in the bottom of the first. Neither team scored in the second, and Dell Rapids continued to lead 4-3.
Then Dell Rapids exploded in the top of the third, scoring 13 times. Dell Rapids had eight hits and six walks in the inning as they had 17 at bats in the inning. Hartford/Humboldt scored one run in the bottom of the fourth only to see Dell Rapids score three more times in the top of the fifth.
Boechler had three hits, two doubles, and four RBIs in the game. Brayden Pankonen, Jaton, and CJ Smith all had two hits and three RBIs each. Dylan Mathis also had two hits with two RBIs. Treyse Eastman added two hits. Braden Fersdahl finished with a double. Henry had two RBIs, and Mason Stubbe had one RBI. Tad Tjaden pitched all five innings and allowed four earned runs on five hits and a walk with four strikeouts.
Dell Rapids will play about 3:30 on Sunday, July 31st in Gregory.