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.

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 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.

Dell Rapids had to win two games against Volga in the Region 2B championship on Thursday, July 21st, and that’s exactly what they did.  They won the first game 11-8 to give Volga their first loss in the tournament and force a second championship game.  In the second game, a grand slam by Dylan Mathis in the fourth inning pretty much sealed the deal for Dell Rapids.

Dell Rapids 11, Volga 8

Volga had a 2-1 lead through four innings of play, and then Dell Rapids’ offense came alive.  Landon Ruesink had a three-run double in the top of the fifth.  Jack Henry followed with an RBI triple, and Mathis had an RBI sacrifice fly to give Dell Rapids a 6-2 lead.  After Volga scored one run in the bottom of the fifth, Dell Rapids added five more in the top of the sixth.  Brayden Pankonen and Ruesink each had an RBI single, Henry had an RBI double, and Will Jaton had a two-run single.  Volga also scored five times in the bottom of the sixth to make the score 11-8, and that’s where game one finished.

Henry had three hits, including a double and triple, with two RBIs.  Pankonen had three hits and an RBI.  CJ Smith also finished with three hits.  Ruesink added two hits, one a double, and four RBIs.  Jaton finished with two hits and two RBIs.  Treyse Eastman had a two hits, one a double, and an RBI.  Mathis had a single and RBI, and Mason Stubbe also had a hit.

Ruesink pitched five innings and allowed three runs, one earned, on five hits and three walks with seven strikeouts.  Smith pitched 1/3 of an inning and allowed five runs, four earned, on four hits and two walks with a strikeout.  Mathis pitched 2/3 of an inning.  Fersdahl also pitched an inning and allowed two walks and had two strikeouts.

Dell Rapids 18, Volga 8

One big inning by Dell Rapids put them in the driver’s seat and helped punch their ticket to state.  Volga scored one run in the top of the first for an early 1-0 lead.  Dell Rapids had one of their two big innings in the bottom of the sixth, scoring six times.  Eastman had an RBI ground out.  Stubbe added an RBI single.  Pankonen reached on an error that scored Aiden Boechler. Mathis and Jaton drew back-to-back bases loaded walks for a 6-1 lead.

Volga had a big inning of their own in the top of the third.  They scored five times to tie the game 6-6.  Dell Rapids, however, took the lead back in the bottom of the inning.  Pankonen had an RBI ground out, Stubbe scored on a wild pitch, and Ruesink scored the final run of the inning to lead 9-6.  Volga pulled within a run, 9-8, after two runs in the top of the fourth.  And that’s when Dell Rapids’ offense exploded.

Smith started the scoring in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single.  Pankonen plated two runs with a single.  Henry had an RBI, bases loaded walk.  Mathis then launched the very next pitch to center field for a grand slam home run to give Dell Rapids a 17-8 lead.  Dell Rapids won the game on the 10-run rule in the bottom of the sixth when Jaton hit a double scoring Henry.

Jaton had two doubles and two RBIs.  Smith and Stubbe both had two singles and an RBI.  Mathis had a home run and five RBIs.  Pankonen added a single and four RBIs.  Ruesink, Henry, and Eastman all had an RBI.  Boechler pitched the whole game and allowed eight runs, five earned, on two hits and eight walks with four strikeouts.

Dell Rapids punched their ticket to the Region 2B Championship with a 19-10 win over Madison on Wednesday, July 20th at Rickeman Field.  Dell Rapids scored in every inning but one as the two teams combined for 24 hits and 11 errors in a slugfest.

Madison struck first with two runs in the bottom of the first.  Dell Rapids tied the game in the top of the second, and after the second inning, the score was 2-2.  Dell Rapids slowly started to pull away in the middle innings.  They scored three times in the third.  Madison countered with two in the bottom of the inning.

The fourth and fifth innings is when Dell Rapids put the pressure on Madison.  Dell Rapids scored four times in the top of the fourth inning and five more in the fifth inning.  Madison was only able to get one run in the bottom of the fourth.  After five innings of play, Dell Rapids led 14-5.  Both teams scored two runs in the sixth inning and three runs in the seventh inning.

Every starter had at least one hit and one RBI in the game for Dell Rapids.  CJ Smith had two hits and three RBIs.  Landon Ruesink had two hits, one a double, and two RBIs.  Brayden Pankonen finished with two hits and two RBIs.  Dylan Mathis had two hits, one a double, and an RBI.  Treyse Eastman also had two hits and an RBI.  Jack Henry had a home run and three RBIs.  Aiden Boechler, Will Jaton, and Mason Stubbe all finished with a single and an RBI.

Joe Rechtenbaugh pitched 4 2/3 innings and allowed five runs, two earned, on four hits and six walks with seven strikeouts.  Mathis pitched 1 1/3 innings and allowed four runs, three earned, on five hits.  Braden Fersdahl pitched one inning and allowed an earned run on a hit and a walk.

Dell Rapids will get a rematch with Volga in the Region 2B championship game on Thursday, July 21st at 5:30 p.m.  Dell Rapids will need to win two games against Volga to advance to the state tournament.

Dell Rapids took advantage of three errors by Volga in the sixth inning to tie the game, but Volga rallied in extra innings for a 5-2 win on Tuesday, July 19th.  Volga advances to the championship game of the Region 2B tournament on Thursday.  Dell Rapids faces elimination on Wednesday.

Parker Puetz got things going right away for Volga with a lead-off solo home run in the top of t he first inning.  Volga added another run in the top of the third on a dropped third strike passed ball.  The score remained 2-0 in favor of Volga until the bottom of the sixth.

Mason Stubbe reached on an error to start the inning for Dell Rapids, the first error committed by Volga in the inning.  After Stubbe stole second, Brayden Pankonen had an infield single to short stop.  The throw over to first, while late, kicked away from the first baseman allowing Stubbe to score.  That was the second error of the inning.  As Volga attempted to make a play at the plate on Stubbe, Pankonen advanced towards second.  The throw by the catcher to second kicked into center field, the third error, and allowed Pankonen to move to third.  Landon Ruesink followed with an RBI sacrifice fly to center to tie the game.

Dell Rapids put together a small rally in the bottom of the seventh.  Aiden Boechler had a one-out single and then stole second.  Will Jaton lined a ball to right field in which Conner Gross made a diving catch to keep the game tied.  That play seemed to shift momentum to Volga.  Boden Schiller hit a two-run double, and Gross had an RBI sacrifice fly to give Volga a 5-2 lead in the top of the eighth.

Dell Rapids was held to just two hits.  Pankonen and Boechler each had a single.  Ruesink finished with an RBI.  Jaton pitched seven innings and allowed five runs, four earned, on seven hits and four walks with three strikeouts.  Ruesink pitched one inning and allowed one hit and two walks.

Dell Rapids won two games on the first day of the Region 2B Legion Baseball Tournament at Rickeman Field on Monday, July 18th.  While it wasn’t easy in either game, Dell Rapids will play Volga in the semifinals on Tuesday, July 19th.

Dell Rapids 17, Flandreau 9

Dell Rapids scored nine times in the final two innings to beat Flandreau in the opening game of the tournament.  The two teams went back and forth all game long.  Dell Rapids scored a run in the top of the first, but Flandreau tied the game in the bottom of the second.  A three run top of the third inning gave Dell Rapids a 4-1 advantage.  Flandreau responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning.

Dell Rapids then scored four times in the top of the fourth, but once again, Flandreau responded.  Flandreau scored three times in their half of the fourth, and Dell Rapids led 8-6 after four innings of play.  Dell Rapids was held scoreless in the top of the fifth, and Flandreau took their first lead of the game after three runs in the bottom of the inning.  Dell Rapids took control of the game with a seven-run sixth inning, and they would score two more in the top of the seventh.

Joe Rechtenbaugh had three hits and three RBIs.  Will Jaton had two hits, one a triple, and two RBIs.  CJ Smith and Treyse Eastman both had two hits and an RBI.  Austin Harvey finished with a hit and two RBIs.  Brayden Pankonen and Landon Ruesink each had a hit and RBI.  Mason Stubbe, Braden Fersdahl, and Sutton Williams all added a hit.  Jack Henry had an RBI.

Eastman pitched three innings and allowed six earned runs on six hits and four walks with seven strikeouts.  Tad Tjaden pitched 1 2/3 innings and allowed three earned runs on five hits with five strikeouts.  Pankonen pitched 2 1/3 innings and allowed two hits and two walks with four strikeouts.

Dell Rapids 11, Madison 8

Dell Rapids broke an 8-8 tie with three runs in the top of the seventh to advance to the semifinal round.  Madison led 2-1 after the first inning.  Dell Rapids then scored five times in the top of the second and two more in the third for an 8-2 lead.  Madison then rallied for three runs in the bottom of the fourth, two in the fifth, and one more in the sixth to tie the game 8-8.

Ruesink broke the tie with an RBI double.  Henry had an RBI ground out that scored Tjaden.  Smith then reached on an error that scored Ruesink for the third run of the inning.

Ruesink had three hits, one a double, and three RBIs.  Pankonen had two hits.  Fersdahl had a triple and two RBIs.  Henry had a double and two RBIs.  Smith had a single and RBI.  Jaton added a double, and Eastman had a single.

Henry pitched 3 2/3 innings and allowed five earned runs on three hits and four walks with five strikeouts.  Pankonen pitched 1 1/3 innings and allowed three runs, two earned, on fouor hits and two walks with two strikeouts.  Tjaden pitched two innings and allowed a hit and two walks with four strikeouts.

Dell Rapids legion lost their final regular season game on Friday, July 15th.  Dell Rapids dropped a 7-2 game on the road to the Renner Royals.

Renner got the first run of the game in the bottom of the first.  Dell Rapids tied the game in the top of the second.  CJ Smith cranked a solo home run over the left field fence.  The Royals took the lead again, 2-1, in the bottom of the third.  The score remained 2-1 until the top of the sixth.  Will Jaton tied the game with an RBI single.  Renner, however, broke the game open with a five-run bottom of the sixth for the win.

Smith finished with a home run and RBI.  Jaton had a single and RBI.  Landon Ruesink had two hits, and Aiden Boechler also had a single.  Jaton pitched three innings and allowed two earned runs on six hits and three walks.  Brayden Pankonen pitched 2 1/3 innings and allowed three earned runs on two hits and two walks with a strikeout.  Joe Rechtenbaugh pitched 2/3 of an inning and allowed two earned runs on two hits and a walk.

Dell Rapids will be hosting the Region 2B tournament Monday, July 18th through Thursday, July 21st.  They will play the first game of the tournament against Flandreau starting at 12:30 p.m. at Rickeman Field.

Dakota Valley got a run in the top of the first inning and then added three more in the top of the second.  The score remained 4-0 until the top of the fourth inning when Dakota Valley got another run. They would add two more in the top of the fifth for a 7-0 lead.

Dell Rapids finally got on the board on an RBI ground out by Aiden Boechler in the bottom of the fifth.  They added three more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Will Jaton had an RBI ground ball, and Austin Harvey had a two-run double to make it a 7-4 game.  Dakota Valley added one more run in the top of the seventh for an 8-4 win on Tuesday, July 12th

Harvey had two hits, including a double, and two RBIs.  Joe Rechtenbaugh also had two hits.  Jaton finished with a single and an RBI.  Jack Henry, Treyse Eastman, and CJ Smith all had singles.  Boechler added an RBI.  Henry pitched four innings and allowed five runs, four earned, on two hits and six walks with four strikeouts.  Rechtenbaugh pitched three innings and allowed two earned runs on three hits and two walks with two strikeouts.

Dell Rapids built a 4-0 lead in the first two innings which helped them to a 12-4 victory over Madison at home on Monday, July 10th.

Dylan Mathis got the scoring started with an RBI double in the bottom of the first inning.  Aiden Boechler followed with an RBI triple for a 2-0 lead.  Braden Fersdahl scored on an error, and Will Jaton had an RBI sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second for the 4-0 advantage.

Madison got on the board in the top of the third, but Dell Rapids responded with three more runs in the bottom of the inning.  Treyse Eastman had an RBI single, Jaton had an RBI ground out, and Brayden Pankonen reached on an error that scored Joe Rechtenbaugh.

Both teams scored a run in the fourth inning.  Dell Rapids put the game out of reach in the bottom of the fifth with three more runs.  Jaton got his third RBI with a single.  Landon Ruesink drove home two runs with a double to make the score 11-2.  Madison had two runs in the top of the sixth, and Dell Rapids got one more in the bottom of the inning.

Eastman had three hits, one a double, and an RBI.  Pankonen also had three hits.  Ruesink finished with two hits, one a double, and two RBIs.  Beochler had two hits, one a triple, and an RBI.  Jaton had a single and three RBIs.  Mathis added a double and an RBI.  Rechtenbaugh finished with a hit.  CJ Smith and Fersdahl both had an RBI.

Boechler pitched five innings and allowed four earned runs on five hits and five walks with a strikeout.  Pankonen pitched two innings and allowed two hits and a walk with four strikeouts.