The Hartford/Humboldt Wood Ducks made their way to the semifinals of the 2026 South Dakota State B Amateur Baseball Tournament in Mitchell, but fell to the Clark Traders 7-6 on Saturday, August 15th, falling two runs short of the championship game.
Wood Ducks 5, Flandreau Cardinals 1
Early runs helped the Wood Ducks earn a 5-1 win over Flandreau on Wednesday, August 12th. The Wood Ducks scored two times in the top of the first and two more in the second for a 4-0 lead. They added another run in the top of the fourth. The Cardinals scored their lone run in the bottom of the fourth.
Jearl Jesson had three hits, one a triple, and three RBIs. Keaton Vessells had three hits, including a triple. Brodie Herr also had three hits. Brody Jacobson finished with a triple and single. Curtis Flint and Loren Jacobson each had an RBI. Flint pitched six innings and allowed an unearned run on two hits and three walks with nine strikeouts. Tyler Tappe pitched three innings and allowed a hit and four walks with five strikeouts.
Wood Ducks 11, Canova 6
Hartford/Humboldt rallied past Cornbelt League foe, the Canova Gang, on Friday, August 14th to advance to the semifinals. The Wood Ducks scored a run right away in the top of the first inning, but Canova tied the game, 1-1, with a run in the bottom of the second. The scored remained 1-1 until the top of the sixth. The Wood Ducks scored six times to take a 7-1 lead. Canova cut the lead to 7-3 with two runs in the bottom of the inning. The Wood Ducks added another run in the top of the sixth for an 8-3 score. Canova rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth to make the score 8-6, but the Wood Ducks added three insurance runs in the top of the ninth.
JJ Jesson had two hits, one a home run, and two RBIs. B. Jacobson had two singles and two RBIs. CJ DenBoer had a triple and single with an RBI. Herr finished with a hit and two RBIs. Chad Hunt added a single with an RBI. Vessells and Tappe each had a hit. Camden McDonald added an RBI. Drew Eldeen pitched seven innings and allowed five earned runs on three hits and six walks with five strikeouts. JJ Jesson pitched two innings and allowed an earned run on two hits and two walks with two strikeouts.
Clark 7, Wood Ducks 6
The Wood Ducks got off to a quick start scoring three times in the bottom of the first inning. They added another run in the bottom of the fourth to extend their lead to 4-0. Clark had a big four-run top of the fifth to tie the game 4-4. Hartford/Humboldt regained the lead, 6-4, with two runs in the bottom of the fifth. Clark would get a run in the top of the sixth to make the score 6-5. The Traders then scored two times in the top of the seventh with two outs to go in front 7-6, and those two runs proved to be the game winning runs.
Je. Jesson had three hits, one a home run, and an RBI. Herr also had three hits with an RBI. Hunt finished with a double and single. DenBoer had a double with two RBIs. B. Jacobson, L. Jacobson, and Hayden Whiting all had one hit each. Vessells had two RBIs. Tappe pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed five earned runs on six hits and five walks with five strikeouts. Flint tossed 1 1/3 innings and allowed two earned runs on a hit and three walks with two strikeouts. B. Jacobson pitched 2 1/3 innings and allowed a hit and two walks while recording one strikeout.
