The Dell Rapids 16U baseball team took fifth place at the 2024 South Dakota VFW State A Tournament in Vermillion held Friday, August 9th through Sunday, August 11th.
Dakota Valley 11, Dell Rapids 3
A big bottom of the sixth was key to the win for Dakota Valley in the opening round. Dakota Valley took an early lead, 4-0, with three runs in the bottom of the first and another in the second. Dell Rapids scored one in the top of the fourth and two more in the fifth to cut the lead to 4-3. Dakota Valley, however, scored seven times in the bottom of the sixth to secure the win.
Connor Hanson had a double with an RBI. Ryan Stubbe had a single and an RBI. Jake Heinitz and Tommy Lavoy both had a single. Jackson Peppel added an RBI. Hanson pitched all six innings and allowed 11 earned runs on 10 hits and two walks with five strikeouts.
Dell Rapids 15, Mobridge 11
In their second game of the tournament, Dell Rapids rallied in the top of the seventh in a high-scoring, back-and-forth game for the 15-11 win. Dell Rapids scored first with a run in the top of the second. Mobridge took the lead in the bottom of the inning with six runs. Dell Rapids responded with six runs themselves in the top of the third to go back in front 7-6. Each team scored two runs in the fifth inning, and Dell Rapids continued to lead 9-8. Mobridge would tie the game 9-9 with a run in the bottom of the sixth. Dell Rapids would score six times in the seventh inning while holding Mobridge to just two for the win.
Peppel, Carson Maeschen, and Heinitz all had three singles and an RBI each. Kenny Swanson had two hits and three RBIs. Jace Brende had two hits, including a triple, with two RBIs. Lavoy had two hits and and Gauge Bunkers added a single and an RBI. Stubbe had a single, and Hanson had an RBI.
Dell Rapids 7, Vermillion 1
In the consolation championship game, Dell Rapids pulled away in the middle innings to take fifth place. Dell Rapids scored two runs right away in the bottom of the first. Vermillion made the score 2-1 with a run in the top of the second. Dell Rapids would get a run in the third, two in the fourth, and two more in the fifth for the 7-1 score.
Stubbe finished with two hits and an RBI. Peppel added a single with two RBIs. Swanson also had an RBI. Stubbe pitched six innings and allowed an earned run on six hits and a walk with five strikeouts. Rhett Thorson pitched the final inning without allowing a hit.
