The West Central 14U baseball team finished third at the 2022 South Dakota VFW Class A State Tournament in Winner.  The tournament was held Friday, July 22nd through Sunday, July 24th.

West Central 6, Flandreau 5

The opening game on Friday was a close one for West Central against Flandreau.  West Central was able to hold off a five-run rally by Flandreau to get the win.

Dylan Bettcher scored on a wild pitch in the top of the second inning to give West Central a 1-0 lead.  Anthony Lanham had an RBI triple, CJ DenBoer had an RBI single, and Bettcher drove home another run in the top of third to extend the lead to 4-0.  Bettcher then scored on an error in the top of the fifth, and West Central led 5-0.

Flandreau got two runs in the bottom of the fifth to make the score 5-2.  DenBoer had an RBI sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth to push the lead to 6-2.  Flandreau scored three times in the bottom of the sixth cutting the lead to one, 6-5. Flandreau got two walks in the bottom of the seventh and had the tying run on second, but could not advance the runner further.

Bettcher had three hits and an RBI.  DenBoer had two hits and two RBIs.  Lanham finished with two hits, one a triple, and an RBI.  Nick Lorang and Alex Siemonsma both had a single.  Jack Sebert pitched six innings and allowed five earned runs on eight hits with five strikeouts.  Lanham pitched one inning and had two walks with one strikeout.

Lennox 2, West Central 1

In the semifinal round, West Central fell to the eventual state champions in a hard-fought 2-1 game on Saturday.  West Central got a run on an RBI single by Lorang in the top of the second inning.  The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the fourth.  Lennox got two runs with two outs to take a 2-1 lead.  West Central tried to tie the game in the top of the fifth, but Hayes Cain was thrown out at the plate on a ground ball to third base.

Lorang finished with a hit and an RBI.  Bettcher had two hits.  Cain and DenBoer each had a single.  Lanham pitched six innings and allowed two runs, both unearned, on six hits and two walks with five strikeouts.

West Central 22, Mobridge 8

West Central turned a 5-5 tie after four innings into a 22-8 win on Sunday to take third place over Mobridge.  Both teams scored a single run in the first, two runs in the third and two runs in fourth for a 5-5 tie score after four innings.

West Central then scored two times in the top of the fifth inning and then 10 runs in the top of the sixth for a 17-5 lead.  Mobridge avoided the 10-run rule with three runs in the bottom of the sixth, but that gave West Central another inning of offense.  They scored five more times in the top of the seventh.

DenBoer had three hits, including a home run and double, with three RBIs.  Lanham also had three hits, one a triple, and three RBIs.  Sebert finished with two hits, one double, and three RBIs.  Lorang also had two hits and three RBIs.  Taten VanOverbeke finished with two singles and two RBIs.  Jacob Kono had a double with three RBIs.  Cain added two hits.  Jacob Mallinger had a single, and Siemonsma had an RBI.

DenBoer pitched 3 1/3 innings and allowed five runs, three earned, on three hits and six walks with seven strikeouts.  Siemonsma pitched 3 2/3 innings and allowed three runs, two earned, on a hit and two walks with one strikeout.

The West Central 14U baseball team is headed to the South Dakota VFW 14U State A baseball tournament after winning the Region 4A tournament held in Parker Monday, July 11th through Wednesday, July 13th.

West Central 16, Tri-Valley White 1

In the opening game of the tournament on Monday, West Central cruised to a 16-1 over Tri-Valley.  They scored four runs in the bottom of the first, one in the second, nine in the third, and two in the fourth.  West Central pitchers held Tri-Valley to just three hits in the game.

CJ DenBoer had two hits, one a triple, and three RBIs.  Nick Lorang had two hits and an RBI.  Anthony Lanham also had two hits, one a triple.  Alex Siemonsma finished with a hit and three RBIs.  Hayes Cain had a single and two RBIs.  Jack Sebert finished with a single.  Dylan Bettcher and Taten VanOverbeke both had an RBI.

Lanham pitched two innings and allowed one hit and struck out four.  DenBoer pitched an inning and allowed a hit and two walks with two strikeouts.  Ashton Gebhard pitched one inning and allowed an earned run on a hit and two walks with a strikeout.

West Central 10, Parker 5

West Central earned a spot in the championship game after a 10-5 win over Parker on Tuesday.  Lanham had an RBI sacrifice fly, and Lorang added an RBI single in the top of the first inning to give West Central an early 2-0 lead.  They added three more in the top of the second.  Cain had an RBI double, and Lanham brought home two more with a single.

Parker cut the lead to 5-2 with two runs in the bottom of the second.  West Central, however, put the pressure on Parker with a five-run fifth inning.  Lanham scored on an error.  DenBoer scored on a wild pitch, Siemonsma had an RBI single and then scored on a wild pitch, and Cain had an RBI single.  Parker added two more runs in the fifth and one in the sixth.

Lanham had two hits and three RBIs.  Cain had two hits, one a double, and two RBIs.  Lorang finished with two hits and an RBI.  Siemonsma added a single and an RBI.  DenBoer and Jacob Kono each had a single.  Lanham pitched five innings and allowed four runs, one earned, on three hits and two walks with seven strikeouts.  Sebert pitched two innings and allowed an unearned run on three hits and had two strikeouts.

West Central 9, Madison Black 7

West Central scored early and never trailed while holding off Madison late in the game on Wednesday.  The 9-7 victory gave West Central the Region 4A title and a spot in the state tournament.

Sebert and DenBoer scored on errors in the bottom of the second for a 2-1 lead.  After Madison scored one run in the top of the second, West Central added two more in the bottom of the inning.  Connor Mebius scored on an error, and Lorang was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to make the score 4-1.

Madison cut the lead to 4-3 with two runs in the top of the third, but West Central answered right back.  Kono scored on an error, and Lorang had a two-run single to push the lead to 7-3.  Mebius had an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth, and Lorang added an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth to make the score 9-3.  Madison scored four times in the top of the sixth, but the rally was stopped there.

Lorang had three hits and four RBIs.  Mebius had a hit and an RBI.  VanOeverbeke added a single.  Sebert pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed seven runs, five earned, on nine hits and a walk with three strikeouts.  DenBoer pitched the final 1 2/3 innings and allowed three hits and a walk with four strikeouts.

West Central Gold 14U had the game-tying run on third base with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, but Garretson got the final out to hang on to a 4-3 victory on Thursday, July 7th.

West Central got the first run in the bottom of the first.  Connor Mebius scored on a passed ball.  Garretson took the lead in the top of the second with two runs.  The went ahead 3-1 after a run in the top of the fourth.  West Central answered with a run in the bottom of the inning.  Jericho Klein scored on a steal of home.  Garretson pushed the lead to 4-2 after a run in the top of the fifth.

With two outs in the bottom of the fifth and a runner on third, CJ DenBoer hit an RBI double to right field to cut the lead to 4-3.  DenBoer ended on third after advancing a base on the throw.  With the tying run on third, Garretson got the final out on a strikeout.

DenBoer had a double and RBI.  Braxton Huber, Bubba Kono, and Mebius all had singles.  Karson Olson pitched two innings and allowed two earned runs on two hits.  Jacob Mallinger pitched 1 2/3 innings and allowed an earned run on a hit and a walk with a strikeout.  Lane Maske pitched one inning and allowed an unearned run on a walk.  Klein pitched 1/3 of an inning.

West Central Blue 14U had to come from behind, but did just that in a 5-4 win over Garretson at home on Thursday, July 7th.

Garretson had a four-run second inning to take a 4-0 lead.  West Central cut the lead in half with two runs in the bottom of the third.  Taten VanOverbeke had an RBI ground out, and Ashton Gebhard scored on a wild pitch.  One inning later West Central tied the game with another two-run inning.  Zach Lorang had an RBI sacrifice fly, and Anthony Lanham had an RBI ground out.  In the bottom of the fifth inning and two outs, Nick Lorang stole home for the game-winning run.

Dylan Bettcher had the only hit in the game for West Central, a double.  Z. Lorang, Lanham, and VanOverbeke all had an RBI.  Jack Sebert pitched three innings and allowed just one hit with six strikeouts.  Lanham pitched two innings and allowed four runs, two earned, on three hits and a walk.

Tea-P broke a 4-4 tie after three innings and outscored West Central Gold 4-1 the rest of the way for an 8-5 win on Wednesday, July 6th.

Tea scored three runs right away in the top of the first inning.  West Central got one run in their half of the first inning on an RBI single by Connor Mebius.  Tea added another run in the top of the second.  JT Steckley scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the second.  West Central then tied the game 4-4 with two runs in the bottom of the third.  CJ Denboer had an RBI single and then later scored on a wild pitch.

Tea, however, broke the 4-4 tie with three runs in the top of the fourth inning.  West Central got one run back in the bottom of the sixth.  Braxton Huber scored on a passed ball.  Tea got one more run in the top of the seventh.

Hayden Whiting had two hits.  DenBoer and Mebius both had a hit and an RBI.  Steckley pitched one inning and allowed four runs, one earned, on a hit and three walks with two strikeouts.  DenBoer pitched three innings and allowed three runs, one earned, on a hit and four walks with six strikeouts.  Whiting pitched three innings and allowed an unearned run on a hit and two walks with three strikeouts.

West Central Blue 14U won their eleventh game of the season and fifth in a row after a 16-1 win at Dell Rapids Red on Wednesday, July 6th.

West Central scored six times in the top of the first inning. Dylan Bettcher, Alex Siemonsma, and Ashton Gebhard all had two-run singles. After both teams went scoreless in the second inning, West Central scored 10 times in the top of the third.

Gebhard had another two-run single and then later scored on a passed ball. Anthony Lanham had a three-run double followed by an RBI single by Bettcher. Nick Lorang had a two-run single, and Gebhard had another RBI with a ground out. Dell Rapids got a run in the bottom of the third.

Bettcher had three hits and three RBIs. Gebhard had two hits and five RBIs. Lanham had two hits, one a double, and three RBIs. Lorang had two hits, one of them a triple, and two RBIs. Siemonsma finished with a hit and two RBIs. Jack Sebert added a double. Gebhard pitched two innings and allowed two hits and two walks with five strikeouts. Hayes Cain pitched one inning and allowed an earned run on a walk.

West Central Blue 14U scored 10 runs in the first three innings and Anthony Lanham held Parker to just two hits in an 10-0 win on Wednesday, June 29th.

Jack Sebert scored the first run of the game, and Alex Siemonsma had an RBI single in the first inning.  Sebert and Hayes Cain had RBI singles in the second inning.  Dylan Bettcher followed with an RBI double, and Siemonsma had an RBI single to push the lead to 6-0.  Four more runs came home in the bottom of the third, all with two outs.  Cain and Lanham had RBI singles.  Bettcher brought home two with a single.

Bettcher had two hits, one a double, and three RBIs.  Cain and Siemonsma both had two hits and two RBIs.  Sebert and Lanham each had a single and RBI.  Taten VanOverbeke added a single as well.

Lanham pitched five innings and allowed two hits and two walks with five strikeouts.

A four-run first inning helps West Central Gold 14U to an 8-2 win against Tea-D on Wednesday, June 29th.

Bubba Kono had an RBI ground out in the top of the first to start the scoring for West Central.  Lando Whiting and CJ DenBoer both scored on a passed ball, and Karson Olson had an RBI ground out for a 4-0 lead. Connor Mebius had a two-run single in the top of the third to push the lead to 6-0.  Tea also got two runs in the bottom of the third.

Whiting scored on another passed ball in the top of the fourth inning.  Jacob Mallinger scored on a wild pitch later in the inning to make the score 8-2.

Mebius had a hit and two RBIs.  Kono had a hit and an RBI.  Whiting had two hits, including a double.  DenBoer, Mallinger, and JT Steckley all had a single.  Klein pitched four innings and allowed two runs, neither of them earned, on one hit and two walks with 10 strikeouts.

West Central Blue 14U had a seven-run fifth inning that was key to a 12-8 win over Tri-Valley White on Tuesday, June 28th.

Nick Lorang had an RBI single in the top of the first for West Central.  Tri-Valley tied the game in the bottom of the inning on an RBI ground out by Cooper Nielson. Gavin Dehaven scored on a passed ball in the top of the second.  Hayes Cain also scored on a passed ball in the top of the third, and Alex Siemonsma had an RBI ground out to give West Central a 4-1 lead.

Tri-Valley got two runs in the bottom of the fourth to cut the lead to 4-3.  Blaine Wiezoreck and Bracken Shapre both had RBI singles.  After Tri-Valley got the lead down to one, West Central then had their big seven-run fifth inning.  Jack Sebert scored on a passed ball.  Siemonsma had a two-run single.  Layne Bares and Taten VanOverbeke both had RBI singles, and then Sebert had a two run single to give West Central an 11-3 lead.

Tri-Valley got two runs on a single by Wiezoreck in the bottom of the fifth.  The score remained 11-5 heading into the seventh inning.  VanOverbeke scored on an error for West Central.  Tri-Valley got three runs in their half of the seventh.  Matthew Cypher scored on an error, Wiezoreck scored on a passed ball, and Landen Jensen had an RBI ground out.

Sebert had two hits and two RBIs for West Central.  Siemonsma had a hit and three RBIs.  Lorang, VanOverbeke, and Bares all had a hit and an RBI.  Zach Lorang had two hits.  Cain and Dehaven both had a single.  Siemonsma pitched five innings and allowed five runs, one earned, on six hits with six strikeouts.

Tri-Valley was led by Wiezoreck with three hits and two RBIs.  Nielson and Jensen both had a hit and an RBI.  Cypher had two hits.  Sullivan Snethen, Noah Eggert, and Sharpe all had a single.

West Central Gold 14U split a pair of games on back-to-back games on Wednesday, June 22nd and Thursday, June 23rd.  On Wednesday West Central got a win over Baltic, but took a lost against Madison Black on Thursday.

West Central Gold 18, Baltic 4

A third inning rally led to an 18-4 win for West Central as the scored 11 times in the inning.  Baltic scored a run in the top of the first, but West Central got two runs in the bottom of the inning.  After Baltic scored five times in the top of the third for a 4-2 lead, West Central responded with 11 in the bottom of the inning and five more in the bottom of the fourth.

West Central only had three hits total in the game taking advantage of eight Baltic errors.  CJ DenBoer had two hits, including a triple, and an RBI.  Hayden Whiting had the other hit and two RBIs.  Bubba Kono, Connor Mebius, and Jacob Mallinger all had two RBIs.  Karson Olson also had an RBI.

Olson pitched three innings and allowed four runs, three earned, on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts.  Mebius pitched an inning and allowed a walk while recording three strikeouts.

Madison Black 12, West Central Gold 2

Madison scored three runs in the bottom of the first and scored in every inning for a 12-2 win over West Central on Thursday.

Zach Lorang scored on an error in the top of the second to cut the lead to 3-1.  Madison got another run in the bottom of the second.  Z. Lorang added an RBI single in the top of the third to make the score 4-2, but Madison got five runs in the bottom of the third and three more in the bottom of the fourth.

West Central was led by Z. Lorang with a hit and an RBI.  DenBoer and Nick Lorang both had a hit as well.  DenBoer pitched two innings and allowed four runs, none of them earned, on two hits and a walk with give strikeouts.  Kono pitched an inning and allowed five runs, two earned, on three hits and three walks with a strikeout.  Jericho Klein pitched 1/3 of an inning allowing three unearned runs on two hits with a strikeout.