The Dell Rapids 14U baseball team won the Region 5A Tournament, which was held in Dell Rapids, with two wins over Canton on Monday, July 15th and Tuesday, July 16th. The two wins give Dell Rapids a spot in the South Dakota VFW State A Tournament.
Dell Rapids 3, Canton 2
They needed nine innings to do it, but Dell Rapids scored two times in the bottom of the ninth to earn a walk-off win over Canton on Monday. Canton took the lead right away in the top of the first inning with a run. They continued to lead 1-0 until the bottom of the fifth. Dell Rapids tied the game with a run. The teams remained locked in a 1-1 tie through seven innings and even into the ninth inning.
Canton started the ninth inning with three straight singles and a walk to take a 2-1 lead. Dell Rapids was able to limit the damage to just one run as they were able to get the next three batters out. Dell Rapids started their half of the ninth inning with back-to-back walks. After a fly out, Knox Cuny tied the game with an RBI double. After a strikeout for out number two, Owen Bollock hit a single to right field scoring Eli Gullickson for the game-winning run.
Bollock had two hits and an RBI. Gullickson finished with two hits. Cuny had a double with an RBI. Cutler Erickson added a single and an RBI. Haiden Kaffar also had a hit. Camden Jones pitched six innings and allowed an earned run on five hits and a walk with eight strikeouts. Gullickson pitched one inning and allowed two hits and a walk with one strikeout. Rhett Thoreson pitched two innings and allowed an earned run on three hits with one strikeout.
Dell Rapids 6, Canton 2
After Canton fought their way back to the championship game, Dell Rapids scored early and maintained the lead for a 6-2 win on Tuesday night. They scored two runs in the bottom of the first and another in the second for an early 3-0 lead. Canton pulled within a run with two scores in the top of the fifth. Dell Rapids, however, scored a run in the bottom half of the inning and then two more in the bottom of the sixth before holding Canton scoreless in the seventh.
Charlie Bollock had two hits and two RBIs. Thoreson finished with two singles and an RBI. Cuny added a hit with an RBI. Kaffar and Erickson each had a single, and Jones had an RBI. Thoreson pitched 4 2/3 innings and allowed two unearned runs on seven hits and three walks with four strikeouts. Gullickson threw 2 1/3 innings and allowed two hits with three strikeouts.
