The Dell Rapids Phils have qualified for the 2025 South Dakota American Legion State B Baseball Tournament in Milbank regardless of how they do in their next game. Dell Rapids won their first three games of the tournament to put them in the title game.
Dell Rapids 1, Clark-Willow Lake 0
The first game of the tournament for the Phils was on Friday, August 1st. The two teams played a great game as the pitching staffs were both stellar. A total of five hits combined were allowed in the game. The Phils scored the only run of the game with two outs in the top of the third. Connor Hanson hit an RBI single that scored Drake Eastman.
Tad Tjaden pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed just two hits and a walk with 13 strikeouts. Lincoln Fersdahl pitched the final 1 1/3 innings and allowed a walk with two strikeouts. Hanson had a single and an RBI. Cole Ruesink and Jackson Peppel had the other two hits for Dell Rapids.
Dell Rapids 1, Winner/Colome 0
The Phils found themselves in another defensive battle in the second game on Saturday, August 2nd. Again the two teams combined for just five total hits. After five scoreless innings, Kenny Swanson drew a one-out, bases-loaded walk to bring home Talan Millage for the game’s only run.
Eastman pitched a gem throwing all seven innings and allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out 13 batters. Gauge Bunkers had two of four hits for the Phils. Fersdahl and Tjaden each had a single. Swanson finished with an RBI.
Dell Rapids 9, Parkston 8
An RBI single in the top of the ninth inning by Fersdahl proved to be the game-winning run in an extra-innings, back-and-forth game against Parkston on Sunday, August 3rd.
Eastman had an RBI single in the top of the first and later stole home to give Dell Rapids an early 2-0 lead. Parkston rallied in the bottom of the third for four runs, with a three-run double being the big hit of the inning. Swanson scored on a wild pitch in the top of the fifth to bring the Phils within a run, 4-3. Dell Rapids tied the game, 4-4, when Peppel scored on a ground ball by Millage.
Dell Rapids looked to gain momentum in the top of the seventh. Tjaden and Peppel each had an RBI hit to put the Phils ahead 6-4 going into the bottom of the seventh. Parkston got two-run home run in the inning to tie the game 6-6 and force extra innings. The Phils looked to take control again in the top of the eighth after Tjaden delivered a two-out, two-run double to put Dell Rapids back in front 8-6. Parkston rallied again and plated two runs in the bottom of the inning to tie the game and force a ninth inning. After an error and single put two runners on base with no outs, Fersdahl had his RBI hit to right field for a 9-8 score. Parkston, this time, was retired in order in the bottom of the ninth to end the game.
Tjaden had two hits, including a double, and three RBIs. Peppel and Fersdahl both had two hits and an RBI each. Ruesink also had two hits, one a double. Eastman had a single with an RBI. Millage and Jake Heinitz each had one hit. Millage pitched two innings and allowed two earned runs on four hits with one strikeout. Fersdahl pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed six runs, four earned, on eight hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Hanson threw 1 1/3 innings and allowed a walk with three strikeouts.
