The Dell Rapids Navy 14U season came to an end at the Region 5A tournament on Monday, July 11th.  Dell Rapids played four games, but ultimately had their season end in the championship game to Madison Maroon.

Dell Rapids 16, Tri-Valley Maroon 3

In the opening game of the tournament on Friday, July 8th, Dell Rapids defeated Tri-Valley with a big fourth inning.  Kenny Swanson, Gage Bunkers, and Tollin Peterson all had an RBI in the bottom of the first inning for an early 3-0 lead.  Tri-Valley tied the game with three runs in the top of the second.  After a scoreless third inning, Dell Rapids scored 13 times, all with less than two outs, to get the 16-3 win.

Swanson had two hits, one a double, and four RBIs.  Thomas Lavoy had two hits and two RBIs.  Jackson Peppel added a single and three RBIs.  Bunkers finished with a hit and two RBIs.  Logan Donovan and Peterson each had a hit and an RBI.  Carson Maeschen and Jack Paterson both had a single.

Donovan pitched all five innings and allowed three earned runs on four hits and two walks with seven strikeouts.

Madison Maroon 5, Dell Rapids 4

Madison won a back-and-forth game on Saturday, July 9th to advance to the championship game.

Bunkers had an RBI ground out in the top of the first inning to give Dell Rapids a 1-0 lead.  Madison took the lead in the bottom of the second with two runs.  Swanson tied the game after scoring on a passed ball in the top of the third.  Madison broke the tie right away in the bottom of the third with one run.

Dell Rapids once again tied the game in the top of the fourth inning.  Lavoy had an RBI single to make the score 3-3.  Madison took the lead once again with a run in the bottom of the fifth, only to see Dell Rapids tie the game in the top of the sixth.  Connor Hanson had an RBI single to make it a 4-4 ball game.  With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Madison got the game-winning, walk-off single to win 5-4.

Swanson and Peterson both had two hits.  Lavoy and Hanson each finished with a single and RBI.  Peppel and Jake Heinitz each had a single.  Bunkers added an RBI.  Swanson pitched 3 1/3 innings and allowed two earned runs on three hits and a walk with four strikeouts.  Hanson also pitched 3 1/3 innings and allowed three runs, all unearned, on two hits with a strikeout.

Dell Rapids 9, Tri-Valley Maroon 5

Dell Rapids and Tri-Valley met again in an elimination game on Monday, July 11th.  Tri-Valley built an early 4-0 lead, but Dell Rapids overcame that deficit and then a tie late in the game to advance to the championship.

Dell Rapids cut the 4-0 lead in half with two runs in the bottom of the third.  Donovan had an RBI single, and Peppel scored on an RBI ground out by Swanson to make it a 4-2 ballgame.  Dell Rapids then took the lead with three runs in the bottom of the fourth.  Paterson had a two run single, and Lavoy scored on a passed ball to give Dell Rapids a 5-4 lead.

Tri-Valley tied the game in the top of the sixth, 5-5, but Dell Rapids scored four times in the bottom of the inning.  Maeschen scored on a passed ball.  Paterson added an RBI double.  Jake Heinitz had an RBI single, and Donovan had an RBI sacrifice fly.  Tri-Valley started the seventh with a walk and single, but the next three batters were retired to end the game.

Heinitz had three hits and an RBI.  Paterson had two hits, one a double, and three RBIs.  Donovan finished with a hit and two RBIs.  Swanson had a double and an RBI.  Lavoy collected two hits.  Peppel, Ryan Stubbe, Maeschen, Peterson, and Caden Zwart all had a single.

Peterson pitched 2 2/3 innings and allowed four earned runs on two hits and five walks with a strikeout.  Bunkers pitched 3 1/3 innings and allowed an earned run on two hits and a walk with two strikeouts.  Hanson pitched an inning and allowed a hit and walk with a strikeout.

Madison Maroon 4, Dell Rapids 1

Dell Rapids and Madison Maroon met again on Monday evening in the championship game.  Madison took the early lead with a run in the bottom of the first.  They extended the lead to 3-0 with two runs in the bottom of the fourth.

Dell Rapids got one run in the top of the fifth.  Swanson scored on a wild pitch with one out to make it a 3-1 game, but Madison got an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth.

Peppel, Maeschen, and Paterson all had a hit in the game.  Hanson pitched four innings and allowed three runs, two earned, on four hits and two walks.  Stubbe pitched two innings and allowed an earned run on three hits and a walk with three strikeouts.

The regular season came to an end for both of the Dell Rapids 14U teams on Wednesday, July 6th.  Dell Rapids Red hosted West Central Blue, and Dell Rapids Navy was at Madison Black.

West Central Blue 16, Dell Rapids Red 1

West Central had two big innings, a six-run first and 10-run third, in their 16-1 win over Dell Rapids.  Dell Rapids was held to just two hits in the game and scored their run in the bottom of the third.

Connor Hanson and Caden Bitzer both had singles.  Alex Heinemann had an RBI on a ground out to second that scored Hayes Sehr.  Kaiden Zelmer pitched 2/3 of an inning and allowed just one hit.  Bitzer pitched two innings and recorded two strikeouts.

Madison Black 11, Dell Rapids Blue 1

Madison scored nine straight runs in the first four innings on their way to an 11-1 win in six innings.  They scored five times right away in the first inning and then added a run in the second, one in the third, and two more in the fourth.  Dell Rapids scored their run in the top of the fifth on an RBI double by Carson Maeschen.  Madison scored two more runs in the sixth to end the game.

Maeschen had a double and an RBI.  Logan Donovan, Gage Bunkers, Kenny Swanson, and Jackson Peppel all had singles.  Swanson pitched 1/3 of an inning and allowed five runs on a hit and five walks.  Bunkers pitched 2 2/3 of an inning and allowed two runs on two hits and a walk with three strikeouts.  Jake Heinitz also pitched 2 2/3 of an inning and allowed five runs on nine hits and a walk with two strikeouts.

Both Dell Rapids Red and Dell Rapids Navy 14U baseball teams were in action before the 4th of July weekend.  Dell Rapids Red hosted Hamlin, and Dell Rapids Navy traveled to Parker on Friday, July 1st.

Hamlin 21, Dell Rapids Red 0

Dell Rapids Red was held hitless in three innings as Hamlin scored in all three innings.  Hamlin scored four times in the first, four times in the second, and nine more in the third inning.

Conner Hanson and Derek Gerlach each drew a walk in the game.  Caden Zellmer pitched all three innings and recorded four strikeouts.

Parker 10, Dell Rapids Navy 5

Parker scored five early runs, saw their lead shrink to one, but held on to beat Dell Rapids Navy 10-5 on July 1st.

Parker scored four runs in the bottom of the first and another in the bottom of the second to lead 5-0 after two innings of play.  Dell Rapids scored three times in the top of the third.  Logan Donovan had an RBI single and later scored on a passed ball.  Gage Bunkers also had an RBI single to make the score 5-3.  Dell Rapids cut the lead to 5-4 after Jackson Peppel had an RBI single in the top of the fifth.  Parker, however, scored five times in the bottom of the inning to secure the win.  Dell Rapids got another run in the top of the sixth.

Peppel had two hits and an RBI.  Jack Paterson had a double and an RBI.  Donovan and Bunkers each had a single and RBI.  Thomas Lavoy added a hit.  Donovan pitched four innings and allowed eight runs, four earned, on two hits and five walks with 11 strikeouts.  Bunkers pitched two innings and allowed two unearned runs on three hits with two strikeouts.

Tri-Valley Maroon 14U scored 18 unanswered runs in the middle innings of an 18-8 win over Dell Rapids Navy in Dell Rapids on Wednesday, June 29th.

Dell Rapids scored the first four runs in the bottom of the first, but it was all Tri-Valley for the next three innings.  They scored three runs in the top of the second, five in the third, and then had a big 10-run fourth inning to lead 18-4.  Dell Rapids scored four times in the bottom of the fifth, but Tri-Valley stopped the rally to end the game on the 10-run rule.

Logan Donovan had three hits, including a triple, and an RBI.  Thomas Lavoy also had three hits.  Gage Bunkers finished with two hits, one a double, and an RBI.  Carson Maeschen and Noah Larson both had a single and an RBI.  Tollin Peterson had a hit, and Kenny Swanson finished with an RBI.

Jake Heinitz pitched two innings and allowed three runs, all unearned, on three hits and two walks with a strikeout.  Peterson pitched two innings and allowed 15 runs, only three earned, on 10 hits and a walk with three strikeouts.  Bunkers threw one inning and allowed three hits.

Sioux Falls Christian 14U brought hot bats into Dell Rapids on June, 29th.  They had 14 total hits and scored 18 runs in an 18-2 win over Dell Rapids Red 14U.

Sioux Falls Christian scored in every inning getting two in the first, five in the second, two in the third, three in the fourth, and six in the fifth.  Alex Heinemann had an RBI ground out in the bottom of the second for Dell Rapids.  Heinemann had another RBI ground out in the bottom of the fifth.

Heinemann finished with two RBIs.  Austin Gross, Connor Hanson, and Caden Bitzer had hits in the game.  Hanson recorded three strikeouts in two innings of pitching.  Sawyer Hebert and Bitzer each had two strikeouts.

Dell Rapids Navy 14U played two games over the Quarry Days weekend.  They traveled to Elkton on Friday, June 24th and then hosted Volga on Sunday, June 26th.\

Dell Rapids Navy 20, Elkton 8

Elkton had a 5-2 lead after three innings of play, but Dell Rapids outscored Elkton 18-3 over the next three for the win.

Dell Rapids scored a run in the top of the first, but Elkton scored four times in their half of the first for a 4-1 lead.  Dell Rapids got one run back in the top of the second, but Elkton pushed the lead back to three runs with a run in the bottom of the third.  That’s when Dell Rapids’ offense took control.  They scored two runs in the top of the fourth, nine in the top of the fifth, and seven more in the top of the sixth.  Elkton got three runs in the bottom of the sixth before the game ended on the 10-run rule.

Kenny Swanson had three hits and three RBIs.  Jake Heinitz had three hits and two RBIs.    Jack Paterson also had three hits and an RBI.

Volga 11, Dell Rapids 7

Volga took the lead in the top of the third with a big five-run inning and pulled away from there for an 11-7 win on Sunday.

Dell Rapids scored two runs in the bottom of the second for a 2-0 lead.  Volga scored five times in the top of the third.  Dell Rapids got two more runs in the bottom of the third to cut the lead to 5-4, but Volga scored three times in the top of the fourth and added another in the top of the sixth.  They then scored two times in the top of the seventh.  Dell Rapids scored three times in the bottom of the seventh, but the rally was cut short.

Paterson had two hits and three RBIs.  Swanson and Gage Bunkers both had two hits in the game.

Dell Rapids Red 14U earned their first win of the season by defeating Tea-D 8-3 at home on Wednesday, June 22nd.

Connor Hanson pitched a complete game recording 14 strikeouts.  Luke Symens had a double and a single.  Parker Zweifel had a base hit, and Sawyer Hebert had a hit and two RBIs.

“The bats came alive along with the defense to support our guy on the mound.  The entire 17 (players) that showed up played and hit, so a true team effort,” said head coach Kevin Symens.

Both Dell Rapids Red and Dell Rapids Navy 14U teams had I-29 League games on Tuesday, June 21st.  Dell Rapids Red traveled to Humboldt to play West Central Gold, and Dell Rapids Navy hosted Tri-Valley White.  Dell Rapids Navy on their game, but Dell Rapids Red fell to West Central.

West Central Gold 15, Dell Rapids Red 1

West Central scored 11 of their 15 runs in the bottom of the second inning and then scored four more in the bottom of the fourth in the 15-1 win.  Dell Rapids got a run in the top of the fourth inning when Caden Bitzer scored on an RBI ground out by Alexander Heinemann.

Bitzer and Parker Zweifel both had a hit in the game, and Heinemann had an RBI.  Bitzer also pitched and recorded four strikeouts.  Luke Symens pitched 1 2/3 innings and had three strikouts.

Dell Rapids Navy 11, Tri-Valley White 7

Dell Rapids scored in four straight innings to win a back-and-forth game against Tri-Valley.  Both teams scored a run in the second inning, and then they both had big third innings.

Tri-Valley scored four times in the top of the third for a 5-1 lead.  Dell Rapids responded with five in the bottom of the inning and led 6-5 after three innings.  Both teams scored two runs each, and Dell Rapids held an 8-7 lead after the fourth inning.  Dell Rapids Navy then scored three more times in the bottom of the fifth to secure the win.

Carson Maeschen had three hits, including a double, and two RBIs.  Tollin Peterson and Kenny Swanson both had a double and two RBIs each.  Thomas Lavoy, Jake Heinitz, and Gage Bunkers all had a hit as well.  Peterson pitched 2 2/3 innings and allowed five runs on six hits with two strikeouts.  Swanson pitched 2 1/3 innings and allowed two runs on two hits with two strikeouts.  Bunkers threw two innings and had one strikeout.

Dell Rapids Navy 14U scored nine times in the first two innings while collecting 10 hits in a 10-2 win over Flandreau on Wednesday, June 15th at Volunteer Field in Dell Rapids.

Logan Donovan got the scoring started for Dell Rapids in the bottom of the first with an RBI single.  Carson Maeschen and Tollin Peterson followed with RBI singles to give Dell Rapids a 3-0 lead.  They would score six more times in the bottom of the second inning.  Maeschen was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, Peterson and Noah Larson had RBI doubles, Jack Paterson walked with the bases loaded, and Thomas Lavoy had an RBI ground out to push the lead to 9-0.

Flandreau was able to get one run in the top of the third inning and another in the top of the fourth inning.  Dell Rapids scored their final run in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI triple by Peterson.

Peterson had three hits, a single, double and triple, along with four RBIs.  Kenny Swanson had two hits.  Larson had a double and an RBI.  Maeschen finished with a hit and two RBIs.  Lavoy and Donovan both had a single and an RBI.  Jake Heinitz finished with a single, and Paterson had an RBI.

Donovan earned the win on the mound.  He pitched six innings while allowing two runs, one earned, on four walks while striking out 12 batters.  Swanson pitched the final inning and allowed two walks.

Both Dell Rapids Red 14U and Dell Rapids Navy 14U played in the I-29 League Tournament held in Flandreau Friday, June 10th through Sunday, June 12th.  Both teams finished 0-3 in their tournament games.

Dell Rapids Red played Tri-Valley Maroon and fell 15-5 on Friday.  Parker then defeated Dell Rapids Red 15-0 also on Friday.  The final game was an 8-2 loss to Garretson on Saturday.  Luke Symens held Garretson to two runs in his two innings pitched.  Connor Hanson pitched the final three innings and struck out six batters.

Dell Rapids Navy lost a hard-fought 1-0 game to West Central Blue in their first game on Friday.  They lost another close one to Madison Maroon, 4-1, on Friday as well.  Baltic then defeated Dell Rapids Navy 9-4 on Saturday.  Thomas Lavoy had three hits and three RBIs in the three games.  Jackson Peppel and Kenny Swanson both had two hits and two RBIs each.