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.