Photo taken and used with permission by Paula Harvey
Dell Rapids played five games in three days at a tournament in Humboldt and ended the weekend as champions. They played two games on Friday, June 24th, one game on Saturday, June 25th, and then two more on Sunday, June 26th.
Dell Rapids 9, Lennox 5
In the first game, Dell Rapids earned a come-from-behind win against Lennox on Friday. Lennox had an early lead after a run in the top of the second. Dell Rapids tied the game with a run in the bottom of the third. They took the lead with two runs in the bottom of the fourth for a 3-1 lead. Lennox regained the lead with four runs in the top of the fifth. The lead was short lived as Dell Rapids had a big five-run fifth inning and added one more in the sixth.
CJ Smith had two hits, one a double, and two RBIs. Will Jaton also had two hits and two RBIs. Jack Henry added two hits and an RBI. Dylan Mathis finished with a single and an RBI. Brayden Pankonen, Landon Ruesink, Treyse Eastman, and Braden Fersdahl all had singles. Pankonen pitched four innings and allowed four runs, one earned, on seven hits an two walks with three strikeouts. Henry pitched two innings and allowed an earned run on a hit and three walks with two strikeouts. Jaton pitched an inning and recorded one strikeout.
Tabor 5, Dell Rapids 4
In their second meeting of the season, Tabor scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to earn a walk-off win over Dell Rapids 5-4 also on Friday. Tabor broke a 0-0 tie in the bottom of the fifth with two runs. Dell Rapids countered with four runs in the top of the sixth, only to see Tabor get three runs to win the game in the seventh.
Austin Harvey had a hit and an RBI. Ruesink finished with two hits. Pankonen, Smith, and Eastman all had hits. Mathis also added an RBI. Eastman pitched 4 1/3 innings and allowed two runs, both unearned, on two hits and two walks with two strikeouts. Joe Rechtenbaugh pitched 1 1/3 innings and allowed a hit and two walks with a strikeout. Ruesink pitched 2/3 of an inning and allowed three earned runs on three hits and a walk with two strikeouts.
Dell Rapids 8, Salem 4
Dell Rapids broke a 4-4 tie with four runs in the top of the sixth and earned an 8-4 win over Salem on Saturday. Salem held an early 1-0 lead after a run in the bottom of the second. Dell Rapids tied the game with a run in the top of the third. Salem got another run in the bottom of the fourth for a 2-1 lead.
Dell Rapids scored three times in the top of the fifth to take a 4-2 lead. Salem, however, tied the game in the bottom of the inning with two runs. Then came the big inning for Dell Rapids, scoring four times in the sixth for the win.
Ruesink had two hits, one a double, and two RBIs. Henry had a double and two RBIs. Mathis added a single and an RBI. Eastman finished with two hits, one of them a double. Jaton, Smith, and Rechtenbaugh all had a single. Jaton pitched six innings and allowed four runs, three earned, on three hits and four walks with six strikeouts. Mathis pitched an inning without allowing a hit.
Dell Rapids 20, Salem 8
Salem and Dell Rapids met again on Sunday. Dell Rapids jumped out to an 8-1 lead after four innings, and then scored 12 times in the final two innings after Salem made a little run. Salem cut the lead in half, 8-4, with three runs in the fifth. Dell Rapids scored nine times in the top of the sixth to extend the lead to 17-4 to put the game out of reach.
Mathis had four hits, including a home run, and four RBIs. Ruesink had three doubles and six RBIs. Henry finished with two hits and two RBIs. Eastman had two singles and an RBI. Smith added a single and two RBIs. Lincoln Fersdahl had a hit, and Aiden Boechler had two RBIs. Rechtenbaugh pitched 4 1/3 innings and allowed four earned runs on two hits and eight walks with seven strikeouts. Boechler pitched 1 1/3 innings and allowed a hit and a walk with two strikeouts. B. Fersdahl pitched an inning and allowed four earned runs on two hits and three walks with three strikeouts.
Dell Rapids 7, Tabor 2
The championship game was a rematch between Dell Rapids and Tabor on Sunday, and the third time the two teams played each other this season. Dell Rapids got to Tabor early and took the championship 7-2. They scored three times in the bottom of the first and one more in the second to lead 4-0 after two innings of play. Tabor cut the lead in half with two runs in the top of the third, but Dell Rapids scored single runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings.
Ruesink had three hits, including a home run, and two RBIs. Mathis had two hits and an RBI. Eastman had a triple and an RBI. Jaton also had a single and an RBI. Mason Stubbe and Smith both had two hits each. Henry and Rechtenbaugh both had a single. Ruesink pitched all seven innings and allowed two earned runs on six hits and a walk with seven strikeouts.