AreaSports Archives - Big Sioux Media Sports Network

Mudcats Win Back-to-Back Titles

August 14, 2022 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The Dell Rapids Mudcats repeated as the South Dakota Class B Amateur Baseball champions with three more wins in the State B Tournament in Mitchell Friday, August 12th through Sunday, August 14th. Dell Rapids claimed wins over Dimock-Emery, Winner/Colome, and Garretson.

Dell Rapids Mudcats 2, Dimock-Emery Raptors 1

The Mudcats needed extra innings, but got the 2-1 win over the Raptors on Friday to advance to the semifinals. Dell Rapids broke a 0-0 tie in the top of the fifth on an RBI single by Dalton Lehnen. Dimock-Emery tied the game in the bottom of the inning. The two teams stayed locked at 1-1 until the top of the 10th. Ty Hoglund had a two-out RBI single scoring Trevor Freudenthal to give the Mudcats a 2-1 lead. The Raptors got a two-out walk in the bottom of the 10th, but Lehnen got a strikeout to end the game.

Lehnen had two hits and an RBI. Hoglund finished with a hit and an RBI. Weston Hanson had two hits. Mark Abrahamson, Kris Regas, and Grant Olson all had a single. Lehnen pitched all 10 innings allowing one earned run on three hits and three walks with 11 strikeouts.

Dell Rapids Mudcats 7, Winner/Colome 2

Dell Rapids earned a trip to the title game after a 7-2 win over the Pheasants on Saturday. The Mudcats built a 5-0 lead over the first two innings. Lehnen had an RBI double in the top of the first inning after a two-out triple by Hanson for an early 1-0 lead. Dell Rapids then added four more runs in the top of the second. Olson had an RBI single, Dalton Allen followed with a two-run double, and Hoglund had an RBI double to push the lead to 5-0.

Winner/Colome got one run in the bottom of the second inning and one more in the bottom of the eighth to cut the lead to 5-2. Dell Rapids put the game away with two runs in the top of the ninth. Chad Hunt had an RBI single and then later scored on a wild pitch.

Hoglund finished with two hits, one a double, and an RBI. Hanson also had two hits, including a triple. Allen had a double and two RBIs. Lehnen finished with a double and an RBI. Hunt and Olson each added a single with an RBI. Travis Peters also had a hit. Regas pitched nine innings and allowed two earned runs on eight hits and two walks with eight strikeouts.

Dell Rapids Mudcats 5, Garretson 2

A four-run sixth inning was key to the Mudcats victory in the championship game against the Blue Jays on Sunday. Garretson broke a 0-0 tie with two runs in the top of the fifth inning to take the first lead of the game.

Dell Rapids, however, scored four times in the bottom of the sixth. Lehnen had a two-run single to cut the lead in half. Hanson followed with an RBI ground ball and then scored on a ball in play by Freudenthal. Dell Rapids added an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh. Hunt scored Olson on an RBI single for a 5-2 advantage.

Lehnen finished with two hits and two RBIs. Hunt also had two hits and an RBI. Freudenthal added a single and RBI. Hoglund, Regas, and Olson all had a single. Hanson added an RBI. Allen pitched four innings and allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits with six strikeouts. Lehnen pitched 4 1/3 innings and allowed six hits with six strikeouts. Regas pitched 2/3 of an inning.

Lehnen was named the tournament MVP.

Mudcats Reach State B Quarterfinals

August 9, 2022 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The Dell Rapids Mudcats have kept their 2022 season alive by winning two games at the 2022 South Dakota Amateur Baseball Association Class B Tournament in Mitchell. They defeated Northville in their first game 7-0 on Saturday, August 6th. The Mudcats then got an 8-6 win over Larchwood on Tuesday, August 9th.

Dell Rapids Mudcats 7, Northville 0

The Mudcats scored in four innings and held Northville to just two hits in their 7-0 opening round victory on Saturday. Neither team scored in the first inning, and the Mudcats broke the scoreless tie with a run in the top of the second. Weston Hanson reached on an error that scored Kris Regas.

Two more runs came home in the top of the third. Regas had an RBI ground out, and Trevor Freudenthal drew a bases loaded walk. The Mudcats got two more runs in the top of the fifth. Travis Peters had an RBI single, and Hanson had an RBI sacrifice fly for a 5-0 lead. The score remained 5-0 until the top of the ninth. Frudenthal had an RBI double, and Logan Stone had an RBI ground out.

Freudenthal had two hits, one a double, and two RBIs. Chad Hunt also had two hits. Peters finished with a hit and an RBI. Grant Olson finished with a single. Regas, Hanson, and Stone all had one RBI. Dalton Allen pitched six innings and allowed one hit and three walks with five strikeouts. Dalton Lehnen pitched three innings and allowed one hit with seven strikeouts.

Dell Rapids Mudcats 8, Larchwood 6

The Mudcats scored the first seven runs of the game and then held off Larchwood as they scored the final five runs of the game. Dell Rapids advanced to the quarterfinals with an 8-6 win on Tuesday night.

Mark Abrahamson reached on an error that scored Ty Hoglund, and Hanson had an RBI sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first. Abrahamson launched a three-run home run to left field in the bottom of the second inning to push the lead to 5-0. Stone scored on a wild pitch, and Freudenthal had an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth for a 7-0 lead.

Larchwood got one run in the top of the sixth inning, and the Mudcats responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning. Lehnen had an RBI sacrifice fly scoring Hunt for an 8-1 score. Larchwood then put together a five-run rally. They scored four times in the top of the seventh inning and one more in the top of the eighth to make the score 8-6. Larchwood had runners on second and third with one out in the top of the ninth, but Lehnen struck out the next two batters to save the game.

Abrahamson finished with a home run and three RBIs. Hanson and Freudenthal both had a single and an RBI. Hoglund and Hunt each finished with a single. Lehnen added an RBI. Regas pitched seven innings and allowed five runs, two earned, on five hits and three walks with 10 strikeouts. John Spaeth pitched 1 1/3 innings and allowed an earned run on four hits with three strikeouts. Lehnen got the final two outs on strikeouts to earn the save.

Dell Rapids 16U Finishes Third at State A Tournement

August 7, 2022 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The Dell Rapids 16U baseball team brought home third place at the 2022 South Dakota VFW Class A State Tournament hosted by Dakota Valley in North Sioux City Friday, August 5th through Sunday, August 7th.

Dell Rapids 8, Volga 0

Dell Rapids slowly pulled away from Volga for an 8-0 win in the opening round of the state tournament on Friday. Talan Millage drove home the first run with an RBI ground out in the top of the second inning. Mason Stubbe started the third with a triple and then scored on an RBI ground out by Tad Tjaden for a 2-0 lead.

Dell Rapids then got three runs in the top of the fifth. Lincoln Fersdahl had an RBI sacrifice fly, and Sutton Williams had a two-run single for a 5-0 lead. Stubbe had an RBI single in the top of the sixth. Cooper Frost added an RBI single in the top of the seventh, and Fersdahl scored the eighth run on a wild pitch.

Stubbe had two hits, including a triple, and an RBI. Frost also had two hits and an RBI. Williams finished with a single and two RBIs. Tjaden and Millage each had a single and RBI. Cole Ruesink had two hits. Luke Schoolmeester added a single, and Fersdahl had an RBI. Millage pitched all seven innings and allowed nine hits and one walk with eight strikeouts.

Wagner 5, Dell Rapids 0

Dell Rapids met Wagner in the semi-finals on Saturday, but was held to just four hits in the game in a 5-0 win for Wagner. Wagner scored four times in the bottom of the second inning, and the score remained 4-0 until the sixth. They would add one more run in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Fersdahl had two hits for Dell Rapids. Quinn Carr had a double, and Williams added a single. Tjaden pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed five runs, but only one earned, on five hits and two walks with 11 strikeouts. Konrad Richeal pitched 1/3 of an inning and allowed a hit and a walk.

Dell Rapids 11, West Central 3

A big sixth inning for Dell Rapids helped them to an 11-2 win over West Central on Sunday to take third place in the state tournament.

Dell Rapids did score three times right away in the top of the first inning. Frost had a two-run single, and Williams scored on a balk for an early 3-0 lead. Millage added an RBI sacrifice fly in the top of the third to push the lead to 4-0. West Central cut the lead in half, 4-2, with two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Fersdahl had an RBI sacrifice fly in the top of the fifth inning, and then Dell Rapids added six more runs in the top the sixth. Tjaden had an RBI double, Micah Pickard scored on a wild pitch, and Ruesink had an RBI single for an 8-2 lead. Frost added two more RBIs with a single, and Millage had an RBI single for the sixth run of the inning. West Central got one run in the bottom of the seventh.

Ruesink finished with three hits and an RBI. Frost had two hits and four RBIs. Millage added two hits and two RBIs. Tjaden had a double and RBI. Fersdahl also had a hit and an RBI. Schoolmeester had two hits. Williams, Grady Lamer, and Pickard all collected a hit.

Carr pitched 3 1/3 innings and allowed two runs, one earned, on two hits and five walks with four strikeouts. Fersdahl pitched three innings and allowed an earned run on a hit and seven walks with three strikeouts. Richeal pitched the final 2/3 of an inning allowing one hit and recording a strikeout.

State Tournament Run Ends for Dell Rapids Legion

July 31, 2022 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The state tournament run for the Dell Rapids legion baseball team came to an end on Sunday, July 31st. Host team Gregory built a big lead Dell Rapids could not overcome in a 10-3 victory.

Gregory struck early and often in the first four innings. They scored three times in the top of the first, two in the second, one run in the third, and two more in the top of the fourth for a 8-0 lead. Dell Rapids finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Joe Rechtenbaugh had an RBI single. Gregory added two more runs in the top of the fifth. Dell Rapids got two in the bottom of the sixth. Both Brayden Pankonen and Jack Henry had an RBI sacrifice fly in the inning.

Rechtenbaugh finished with two singles and an RBI. Mason Stubbe also had two hits. Pankonen and Henry both had a single and an RBI. Dylan Mathis and Aiden Boechler each added a single.

Treyse Eastman pitched 1 1/3 innings and allowed four runs, three earned, on two hits and three walks with three strikeouts. Rechtenbaugh pitched 2/3 of an inning and allowed an unearned run on two walks and a strikeout. Will Jaton pitched four innings and allowed five runs, two earned, on nine hits and four walks with a strikeout. Mathis also pitched an inning without allowing a hit.

Dell Rapids finishes the season with an overall record of 22-12.

PBR Misses State Tournament, Drops Final Two Games in Districts

July 30, 2022 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Dell Rapids PBR missed qualifying for the state tournament after dropping their final two games of the District 4B tournament in Dell Rapids. PBR fell to Lennox 14-1 on Friday, July 29th and then loss to the Salem Cubs in the “Last Chance” game on Saturday, July 30th.

Lennox Alpacas 14, Dell Rapids PBR 1

Lennox built a 6-0 in the first three innings before taking the game 14-1 in seven innings on Friday. PBR got their lone run in the top of the fourth inning. Teagan Schlimgen scored on a passed ball to make the score 6-1 at that point. Lennox then scored five times in the bottom of the fourth and three more in the bottom of the sixth.

Riley Calhoon had two hits. Schlimgen finished with a triple and a run scored. Tanner Solberg also had a hit. Grant Sweeter took the loss pitching four innings allowing 11 runs, five earned, on 11 hits and three walks. Tim Wilhelmsen pitched two innings and allowed three earned runs on five hits with one strikeout.

Salem Cubs 7, Dell Rapid PBR 3

Salem built a 7-0 lead in the first six innings of play on Saturday. Dell Rapids tried to put together a rally in the later innings. Calhoon had an RBI fielder’s choice ground ball that scored Conner Spindler in the top of the seventh. PBR added two more in the eighth. Schlimgen had a two-run home run to center field, but PBR was unable to score again in the game.

Spindler finished with two hits. Schlimgen had a home run an two RBIs. Riley Hoffman, Sweeter, Solberg, and Trey Randel all had singles. Calhoon had an RBI. Randel pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed seven earned runs on seven hits and six walks with five strikeouts. Hoffman pitched 2 2/3 innings and allowed two hits while recording three strikeouts.

Dell Rapids Legion Wins Big over Hartford/Humboldt, Avoids Elimination

July 30, 2022 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

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.

Dell Rapids Falls to Vermillion in Back-and-Forth State Game

July 29, 2022 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Dell Rapids and Vermillion traded leads a couple of times with Vermillion taking a 9-7 win in an opening round game at the 2022 South Dakota Class B Legion State Tournament on Friday, July 29th in Gregory.

Dylan Mathis had an RBI single, and Jacky Henry stole home to give Dell Rapids a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Vermillion got one run back in the bottom of the inning. Vermillion then took their first lead with three runs in the second and led 4-2 going into the third inning.

Dell Rapids regained the lead in the top of the third. Aiden Boechler had an RBI ground ball, Treyse Eastman had a steal of home, and Joe Rechtenbaugh had an RBI single. Vermillion tied the game 5-5 with a run in the bottom of the third. Will Jaton had an RBI bunt single in the top of the fourth inning. Eastman added an RBI single, and Dell Rapids was back in front 7-5.

Vermillion got a run back in the bottom of the fourth inning to make the score 7-6. Neither team scored in the fifth inning. After holding Dell Rapids scoreless in the top of the sixth, Vermillion got their first three hitters on base. A wild pitch run and two sacrifice flies gave Vermillion the 9-7 lead. Dell Rapids was retired in order in the top of the seventh.

Rechtenbaugh had two hits and an RBI. Brayden Pankonen and CJ Smith both had two hits. Mathis, Jaton, Eastman, and Boechler all finished with a single and an RBI. Jack Henry and Mason Stubbe both added a hit. Henry pitched 1 2/3 innings and allowed four runs, three earned, on five walks with two strikeouts. Pankonen pitched 3 1/3 innings and allowed four earned runs on six hits and three walks with two strikeouts. Jaton pitched one inning an allowed an earned run on a walk.

Dell Rapids will play Hartford/Humboldt on Saturday, July 30th at 10:00 a.m. in an elimination game.

Mudcats Beat PBR in Districts to Reach State, PBR Still Looking to Qualify

July 29, 2022 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Dell Rapids PBR and the Dell Rapids Mudcats faced each other in the District 4B tournament on Thursday, July 28th. The Mudcats built an early eight-run lead and cruised to a 12-3 victory to advance to the state tournament.

The Mudcats put three quick runs on the board in the bottom of the second inning. Travis Peters had an RBI single, Kris Regas scored on a passed ball, and Ty Hoglund had an RBI single. Dalton Lehnen launched a two-run home run in the bottom of the third to push the lead to 5-0. Lehnen added another RBI in the bottom of the fourth on a bases-loaded walk. Regas brought home two with a single to make the score 8-0.

PBR got on the board with two runs in the top of the fifth inning. Tanner Solberg had an RBI sacrifice fly to score Grant Sweeter, and Riley Calhoon added an RBI single. The Mudcats got one run back in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI double by Hoglund. They added another run in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI sacrifice fly by Trevor Freudenthal for a 10-2 lead.

Riley Hoffman bounced into an RBI fielder’s choice in the top of the seventh for PBR. The final two runs for the Mudcats came in the bottom of the seventh.

Dell Rapids Mudcats Stats

Hoglund finished with three hits, one a double, and two RBIs. Regas had two hits and two RBIs. Lehnen had a home run and three RBIs. Mark Abrahamson, Peters, Jimmy Bauer, and Freudenthal all had a hit and an RBI. Grant Olson added a double. Abrahamson pitched six innings and allowed two earned runs on five hits and a walk with six strikeouts to take the win on the mound.

Dell Rapids PBR Stats

Calhoon finished with two hits and an RBI. Sweeter and Trey Randel both had two hits each. Conner Spindler finished with a single. T. Solberg added an RBI. T. Solberg took the loss on the mound pitching four innings. He allowed nine earned runs on six hits and eight walks with four strikeouts. Dale Solberg pitched four innings and allowed three earned runs on five hits and three walks with four strikeouts.

What’s next

The Mudcats are now done in district play having clinched a spot in the state tournament. Dell Rapids PBR will get two more chances to qualify for state. Their first chance will be against Lennox at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, July 29th. The winner of the game will advance to state. The loser will play in the “last chance” game at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 30th.

Dell Rapids 16U Enters State Tournament as Region 3A Runner-up

July 29, 2022 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The Dell Rapids 16U baseball team will enter the 2022 South Dakota VFW Class A 16U State Tournament as the runner-up team from Region 3A. West Central defeated Dell Rapids 5-1 in the Region 3A Championship on Wednesday, July 27th.

After two scoreless innings, West Central broke through with three runs in the bottom of the third. Dell Rapids was able to get a run in the top of the fifth. Cooper Frost had an RBI sacrifice fly to score Sutton Williams. West Central, however, responded with two more runs in the bottom of the fifth.

Dell Rapids was held to just two hits in the game. Williams and Quinn Carr each had a single. Frost had the lone RBI. Frost pitched six innings and allowed five runs, four earned, on 11 hits and one walk with three strikeouts.

Dell Rapids will play Volga on Friday, August 5th at 5:00 p.m. in the opening round of the state tournament. The tournament is being hosted by Dakota Valley and held in North Sioux City.

Dell Rapids 16U Rebounds after Loss to Qualify for State

July 26, 2022 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The Dell Rapids 16U baseball team lost a tough, extra-inning game to West Central in the semifinals of the Region 3A tournament on Tuesday, July 25th. They were able to rebound and get a win over Madison White immediately afterwards to put them into the championship game.

West Central 7, Dell Rapids 6

Dell Rapids built a 6-0 lead in the first game of the night. Cooper Frost had an RBI single in the top of the second. Talan Millage had an RBI sacrifice fly, and Mason Stubbe had an RBI single to build a 3-0 lead. Quinn Carr added an RBI single, and Frost had an RBI sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth. The sixth run came in the top of the sixth inning on an RBI single by Lincoln Fersdahl.

West Central slowly started to chip away at the lead starting in the bottom of the fourth inning. They got two runs in that inning and two more in the bottom of the fifth. West Central pulled with in a run, 6-5, with a run in the bottom of the sixth. With two outs and two runners run, West Central got a game-tying hit. The second runner was thrown out at the plate to end the seventh to force extra innings. West Central, however, got the game winning run in the bottom of the ninth.

Fersdahl had three hits, one a double, and an RBI. Sutton Williams also finished with three hits. Stubbe had two hits, one a double, and an RBI. Carr also had two hits and an RBI. Frost finished with a hit and two RBIs. Tad Tjaden and Luke Schoolmeester both had a hit. Millage finished with an RBI.

Carr pitched 4 2/3 innings and allowed four earned runs on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Konrad Richeal pitched 3 1/3 innings and allowed three earned runs on seven hits and two walks with one strikeout.

Dell Rapids 14, Madison 4

Madison scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning for a quick 3-0 lead, but Dell Rapids rebounded to score the next 11 and eventually won 14-4 in five innings to put them into the championship game for a rematch with West Central.

Dell Rapids had a big six-run bottom of the second inning and then added five more runs in the bottom of the fourth. Madison got one more run in the top of the fifth. Dell Rapids then scored three more times in the bottom of the fifth to end the game on the 10-run rule.

Stubbe finished with three hits, one a double. Fersdahl had three hits, one a double, and three RBIs. Williams had two hits, one a triple, and an RBI. Cole Ruesink had a hit and two RBIs. Carr added a triple and an RBI. Tjaden also had a single. Fersdahl pitched four innings and allowed four runs, one earned, on two hits and five walks with eight strikeouts. Frost pitched one inning and allowed one hit.

Dell Rapids Qualifies for State

Because there are only four regions, Region 3A will send both teams in the championship game to the state tournament. Dell Rapids and West Central will play in state regardless of the outcome of the championship game. The region championship is scheduled for Wednesday, July 26th at 6:00 p.m. If Dell Rapids wins, the two teams will play again immediately following the first game.