Photo taken and used with permission by Paula Harvey

Dell Rapids (10-2) belted three home runs, two of them were by Landon Ruesink, in a 12-2 win over Garretson on Monday, May 16th at Rickeman Field.  The win was the fourth in a row for Dell Rapids.

Garretson did have a short-lived lead in the game.  They scored one run in the top of the first, but Treyse Eastman drove home two runs for Dell Rapids on a single for a 2-1 lead.  Neither team scored in the second inning, but Dell Rapids scored in every inning the rest of the game.

Will Jaton had an RBI single in the third inning.  Ruesink hit his first home run of the game, a two-run shot to left field, in the bottom of the fourth inning.  Dylan Mathis followed with a solo home run two batters later to make the score 6-1.  Ruesink added another two-run home run to left field in the bottom of the fifth inning for an 8-1 lead.

Garretson got their second run in the top of the sixth inning.  Aiden Boechler had an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth inning.  Jaton drove home two more runs with a single, and Sutton Williams drove home the game-ending run on a single for the 12-2 victory in six innings.

Ruesink had three hits, two of them home runs, and four RBIs.  Mathis had two his, one a home run, and an RBI.  Boechler finished with three hits, including a double, and an RBI.  Jaton had two hits and three RBIs.  Williams had two hits, one of them a triple, and an RBI.  Eastman finished with a single and two RBIs.  CJ Smith also had a hit.  Joe Rechtenbaugh pitched all six innings allowing two runs, one earned, on two hits and two walks with eight strikeouts.

With the game tied 2-2, Dell Rapids scored four times in the top of the sixth inning to help them to a 6-2 win at Tea on Saturday, May 14th.  This was the first game for Dell Rapids in almost a week due to weather postponements.

Dell Rapids scored right away in the top of the first inning when Dylan Mathis drove home Jack Henry with a double.  Henry scored again in the top of the third inning after Treyse Eastman grounded into a fielder’s choice.  Tea tied the game in the bottom of the third with two runs.   The score remained 2-2 until the top of the sixth inning.

Will Jaton drove home the first run of the inning on a single to center field.  Jaton and Braeden Fersdahl both scored a couple of batters later on a wild pitch.  Mathis got his second RBI double of the game later in the inning to give Dell Rapids a 6-2 lead.  Tea got the bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but Landon Ruesink was able to induce a ground ball to shortstop Henry who flipped the ball to Jaton at second for the final out.

Mathis had four doubles and two RBIs to lead Dell Rapids offensively.  Henry had four singles and scored three times.  Jaton had a single and an RBI.  CJ Smith finished with a double.  Ruesink had a hit, and Eastman had an RBI.  Henry pitched the first 4 2/3 innings allowing two earned runs on four hits with six walks and 11 strikeouts.  Ruesink earned the win pitching 2 1/3 innings allowing no hits and two walks while striking out four.

Photo taken and used with permission by Jodie Jaton

Both pitchers pitched a complete game, but it was Dell Rapids that took a 2-1 victory over Sioux Falls Christian in Renner on Thursday, May 5th.  Both starters were on top of their game combining for 19 strikeouts and just two walks.

Dell Rapids broke a 0-0 tie in the top of the fourth inning.  Landon Ruesink started the inning with a single.  He then advanced to second on a wild pitch and then stole third base.  Jack Henry drove him home with a sacrifice fly to give Dell Rapids a 1-0 lead.  Henry notched his second RBI of the game with a single scoring Brayden Pankonen in the top of the sixth inning for a 2-0 lead.

Sioux Falls Christian got their lone run in the bottom of the sixth.  They got a run with two outs on a single.  The Chargers had the tying run on second base with two outs, but starter Treyse Eastman got a ground out to end the inning.  Eastman sent the Chargers down in order in the bottom of the seventh for the 2-1 win.

CJ Smith had two hits in the game.  Henry had a hit and drove home both runs.  Pankonen, Ruesink, Eastman, Sutton Williams, and Will Jaton all had hits in the game.  Eastman allowed one run, which was unearned, on three hits with one walk while striking out 13 batters in his seven innings of work.