In what’s been a difficult start to the high school club baseball season in terms of weather, West Central won for the second time in as many games on Wednesday, April 20th.  West Central got a 4-1 road win over Hanson-Bridgewater-Emery.

The game was locked in a scoreless battle for four innings.  West Central finally broke through in the top of the fifth inning.  Duece Sherrard hit an RBI single scoring Gage Nelson for a 1-0 lead.

West Central then scored three more times in the top of the sixth.  Grafton Stroup scored on an error, and Dalton Mulder hit a two-out, two-run home run to give the Trojans a 4-0 lead.  Hanson-Bridgewater-Emery got their lone run in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Mulder finished the game with the home run and two RBIs.  Sherrard had two hits, including a double, and an RBI.  Stroup also had two hits, one of them a double.  Gavin Koch finished with two singles, and Zach Madsen had a hit.

Madsen took the win on the mound pitching five innings without giving up a hit while walking three and striking out six batters.  Braden Herr pitched two innings allowing one run, which was unearned, on two hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

West Central will host Dell Rapids on Sunday, April 24th.

West Central’s bid for a high school state baseball title ended just a little short at Sioux Falls Stadium on Tuesday, June 1st.  West Central fell to Dell Rapids, a Region 3B foe, in the championship game 9-2 taking the 2021 South Dakota High School Baseball Association runner-up spot.

West Central’s run through the state tournament started on Monday, May 31st.  They opened the tournament against Platte-Geddes/Dakota Christian/White Lake/Corsica/Stickney and advanced after an exciting 6-5 win.

West Central scored the first three runs of the game.  Zach Madsen hit an RBI single in the top of the second inning. West Central added two more runs in the top of the fifth on RBI singles by Dylan Sherrard and Loren Jacobson.  PG/DC/WL/C/S tied the game with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, but West Central added three in the top of the seventh.  Grafton Stroup had a two-run double, and Jacobson scored on a wild pitch to give West Central a 6-3 lead.  They needed all three runs as PG/DC/WL/C/S scored two times before Stroup was able to get the final out on the mound.

Ryan Healy, Jacobson, Madsen, Seth Gabbert, and Sherrard all had singles in the game.  Jacobson, Madsen, and Sherrard all had an RBI.  Stroup had a double and two RBIs, and Noah Hohn had a triple.  Gabbert pitched five innings allowing three earned runs on four hits with three walks and three strikeouts.  Stroup pitched the final two innings allowing two earned runs on three hits with one strikeout.

West Central defeated Vermillion in the semifinals on Tuesday.  West Central scored six runs over the last three innings to secure the 9-4 victory to send them to the championship game.

They had three runs in the top of the first inning and led 3-0 until Vermillion scored a run in the bottom of the fourth.  West Central added two runs in the top of the fifth, but Vermillion responded with two of their own in the bottom of the inning to make the score 5-3 after five innings.  West Central again added two runs in the top of the sixth inning for a 7-3 lead.  Vermillion picked up a run in the bottom of the sixth, but two more runs by West Central in the top of the seventh put the game out of reach.

Healy and Madsen both had two hits and an RBI in the game.  Jacobson also had two hits, including a double.  Stroup had a triple and two RBIs.  Hown had a double and an RBI.  Ben Sebert and Gabbert both had a hit.  Sherrard had a hit and three RBIs.  Braden Herr pitched 4 2/3 innings giving up three runs, two earned, on three hits with three walks and two strikeouts.  Stroup pitched 1 1/3 innings allowing one run, which was unearned, on two hits with one walk and one strikeout.  Hohn pitched the final inning allowing no runs on two hits.

West Central then faced Dell Rapids in the title game on Tuesday evening.  West Central scored two times on three hits in the top of the first inning to put the pressure on Dell Rapids early.  Hohn had an RBI single, and Adam Parsons had an RBI ground out in the inning.  West Central, however, was held to just one hit the remainder of the game as Dell Rapids scored a run in the bottom of the second, five more in the third, two in the fifth, and one in the sixth for the win.

Jacobson had two of the four hits for West Central, including a double.  Hohn had a hit and RBI, and Healy had the other hit in the game.  Hohn pitched 4 1/3 innings allowing eight runs, only three earned, on 10 hits with two walks and four strikeouts.  Jacobson pitched the final 1 2/3 innings allowing one earned run on four walks and a strikeout.

West Central finished the season with a 12-5 record and as the State B runner-up.

The West Central high school baseball team is headed to the State B tournament after getting two wins in the Region 3B tournament held in Tea on Tuesday, May 25th.

West Central was the #3 seed in the tournament and played their opening round game against #6 Garretson.  West Central scored two in the bottom of the second inning, which was enough as they held Garretson to just one run on their way to a 5-1 victory.

Grafton Stroup had three hits and two RBIs in the game.  Ryan Healy had two hits, one of them a double, and an RBI.  Zach Madsen and Ben Sebert both had a hit and an RBI.  Seth Gabbert added a double, and Dylan Sherrard and Loren Jacobson both had a hit.

Gabbert pitched 6 1/3 innings allowing one earned run on three hits with five walks and eight strikeouts.  Stroup pitched 2/3 of an inning without allowing a hit.

West Central then met #2 Tea in the state qualifying game.  After a scoreless first inning, West Central’s offense exploded scoring 20 runs on 16 hits while holding Tea to just one hit in a 20-0 win.  West Central scored seven in the second, three in the third, seven more in the fourth inning, and three in the fifth inning.

Healy finished the game with three hits and three RBIs.  Jacobson had three hits, including a triple, and two RBIs.  Stroup had three hits, one a double and one a triple, as well as two RBIs.  Noah Hohn had two hits, including a double, and two RBIs.  Ben Serbert had a hit with two RBIs.  Gabbert finished with a hit and RBI.  Adam Parsons, Jack Linnemann, and Zach Madsen all had a hit as well.

Hohn pitched all five innings allowing just one hit with three walks and five strikeouts.

The 2021 South Dakota High School Baseball Association Class B State Tournament will be held at Sioux Falls Stadium on Monday, May 31st and Tuesday, June 1st.

West Central scored two in the bottom of the fifth and two more in the bottom of the sixth inning to earn a 7-3 win over Sioux Falls Christian on Monday, May 17th.

West Central scored the first three runs of the game.  Loren Jacobson had an RBI ground out in the top of the first inning to score Ryan Healy for a 1-0 lead.  The first four batters of the third inning for West Central all hit singles.  Grafton Stroup had an RBI on his hit as did Noah Hohn to push the West Central lead to 3-0.

Sioux Falls Christian two runs in the bottom of the third inning on back-to-back singles to cut the lead to 3-2.  Sioux Falls Christian then tied the game 3-3 in the bottom of the fourth inning after a West Central error.

The Trojans regained the lead in the top of the fifth inning.  Stroup lead off the inning with a home run to right field.  Braden Herr hit an RBI sacrifice fly later in the inning to make the score 5-3.  Two more runs scored in the top of the sixth inning on an RBI single by Jacobson and an RBI double by Stroup.

Stroup had three hits, including a home run and double, with three RBIs.  Jacobson had two hits and two RBIs.  Hohn finished with two hits, including a double, with an RBI.  Herr also had an RBI.  Healy picked up two hits, and Ben Sebert, Adam Parsons, and Seth Gabbert all had a hit.

Herr pitched four innings giving up three runs, two earned, on two hits with five walks and six strikeouts.  Stroup pitched the final three innings giving up just one hit and had five strikeouts.

A two-run first inning for West Central was more than enough for them to defeat Baltic at home on Thursday, May 13th.  West Central took the 4-1 win.

Grafton Stroup drove home the first run of the game on a sacrifice line out to center field scoring Ryan Healy.  Bem Sebert later scored on an error to give West Central a 2-0 lead after the opening inning.  Baltic’s lone run came in the top of the second inning after a steal of home.  West Central added another run in the bottom of the second after Dylan Sharrard scored on an error by the catcher.  Noah Hohn scored after a single by Adam Parsons in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Loren Jacobson had a double in the game.  Parsons had a hit and RBI.  Zach Madsen, Sherrard, and Seth Gabbert all had singles in the game.

Gabbert pitched a complete game giving up one earned run on three hits with two walks and 11 strikeouts.

For four innings Dell Rapids and West Central were locked in a scoreless pitching duel at Rickeman Field on Monday, May 10th.  West Central finally broke the tie in the top of the fifth inning, but Dell Rapids scored three unanswered runs to win 3-1.

The two teams combined for just three hits through the first four innings of play.  Zach Madsen led off the West Central fifth with a slow roller up the third base line for an infield single.  Madsen advanced to third after an error on a throw over to first and then a passed ball.  Adam Parsons blooped a broken-bat single over a drawn-in infield for the first run of the game and a 1-0 lead for West Central.

Dell Rapids responded by getting the first three batters on base safely in the bottom of the fifth.  Brayden Pankonen drew a lead-off walk.  Austin Henry followed with a single, and Landon Ruesink tied the game with an RBI single.  A. Henry scored after an errant throw attempt to second on a steal by Ruesink.  That run gave Dell Rapids a 2-1 lead.  Dell Rapids added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Noah Hohn pitched 4 1/3 innings giving up two runs, one earned, on just three hits.  He also had five walks and five strikeouts.  Grafton Stroup gave up an unearned run on one hit and had one walk and one strikeout.

Ryan Healy had a double in the game.  Parsons finished with a hit and RBI, and Madsen also had a hit in the game.

The West Central baseball team won their fourth straight game and third game in as many days.  West Central defeated McCook Central/Montrose 9-5 at home on Wednesday, April 28th.

McCook Central/Montrose scored a run in the top of the first inning after an error and a double, but West Central put three runs on the board in the bottom of the inning.  Ryan Healy led the inning with a double and later scored on an error.  Grafton Stroup hit an RBI triple, and Zach Madsen had an RBI single to give West Central a 3-1 lead.

McCook Central/Montrose was able to get a run back in the top of the third on three straight singles.  They tied the game in the top of the fourth inning by scoring a run on an error to make it a 3-3 game.

West Central took the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth inning.  Madsen hit a home run to center field to put West Central back in front 4-3.  West Central got three more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.  Loren Jacobson hit an RBI triple and scored on an error.  Noah Hohn had an RBI double, and West Central lead 7-3 after five innings.  Ben Sebert had a two-run single in the bottom of the sixth inning to push the lead to 9-3.  McCook Central/Montrose got two runs in the top of the seventh.

Madsen had two hits, including a home run, with two RBIs.  Stroup had two hits, with a triple, and an RBI.  Jacobson also had two hits, with a triple, and an RBI.  Healy finished with two hits, one of those a double, with an RBI.  Hohn had a double with an RBI.  Sebert had a hit with two RBIs, and Jack Linnemann also had a hit.

Healy started the game on the mound pitching two innings giving up two runs, one earned, on four hits with two strikeouts.  Stroup got the win pitching five innings of relief giving up three runs, all unearned, on three hits with two walks and seven strikeouts.

The West Central high school baseball team had their second straight shutout win in as many days on Tuesday, April 27th.  West Central defeated Sioux Falls Christian at home 10-0 in five innings.

Logan Marris only allowed three hits over five innings while walking two batters and striking out nine Sioux Falls Christian hitters.

The offense provided more than enough run support for Marris.  West Central scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning, two runs in the bottom of the second inning, and then four more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Ryan Healy and Zach Madsen both had two doubles in the game.  Madsen also had four RBIs.  Grafton Stroup also had two hits, including a triple, with two RBIs.  Noah Hohn had a hit with an RBI.  Ben Sebert also had a hit.  Loren Jacobson had two RBIs as well.

West Central will host McCook Central/Montrose in their third straight game in as many days on Wednesday, April 28th.

West Central earned a hard-fought 2-0 win over Lennox at home on Monday, April 26th.  The two teams combined for a total of 11 hits and neither team scored until the fifth inning.

Each team had scoring chances early in the game, but West Central finally broke the scoreless tie in their half of the fifth inning on an RBI single by Grafton Stroup.  West Central added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning when Adam Parsons scored on a wild pitch.

Noah Hohn pitched the complete game on just 85 pitches.  Hohn gave up five hits and had two walks and five strikeouts.

Loren Jacobson had two hits in the game.  Stroup had a hit and RBI.  Ryan Healy, Hohn, and Parsons all had a hit in the game as well.

West Central will host Sioux Falls Christian on Tuesday, April 27th.