Area amateur baseball playoff roundup for July 25: Rays outlast Mount Vernon with walk-off win

MOUNT VERNON, S.D. — With one swing of the bat, Dave Soulek sent the Parkston Rays fans home happy on Friday night.

Soulek hit a walk-off home run to propel the third-seeded Rays to a 7-6 win over No. 6 Mount Vernon in the District 5B quarterfinal round despite Parkston only collecting three total hits for the game. The Rays took advantage of 10 fielding errors by the Mustangs to push across their runs.

Down 6-3 entering the ninth, Mount Vernon scored three runs without recording a hit, reaching base on three walks, two hit-by-pitches and a catcher’s interference to send the game to the bottom of the ninth inning, where Soulek jumped on Deric Denning’s first pitch and deposited the ball over the center-field wall.

Soulek finished with a hit, a walk, an RBI and a run scored in the game. Tanner Dyk and Caden Donahue recorded the other hits by the Rays while Cody Larson picked up an RBI. On the mound, Jake Helleloid struck out 22 Mustangs hitters across nine innings of three-run ball, allowing only four hits to earn the pitching win.

Mount Vernon was patient at the plate, drawing 10 walks for the game. Bradley Dean and Chase Hetland each drew three walks while Eric Giblin picked up two hits with an RBI. Denning drove in two runs and walked twice at the plate, but was named the losing pitcher despite collecting 11 strikeouts in all eight innings on the mound.

Parkston (14-8) will play for a spot in the District 5B championship game against Alexandria at 7 p.m. on Sunday, July 27. Mount Vernon (9-10) faces Corsica in an elimination game at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, July 29 in Mount Vernon.

Nathan Swaffar / Mitchell Republic

MOUNT VERNON, S.D. — The ball flew off the No. 2-seeded Alexandria Angels’ bats on Friday night, as they hit five home runs in an 11-0 shutout victory over the No. 7 Corsica Horned Frogs in eight innings in Friday’s District 5B quarterfinal opener.

Peyton Smith, Landon Ruesink, Jackson Jarding, Jordan and Tyson Gau all went deep in the game, as the Angels plated home eight runs in the final three innings to force the early end to the game. Alexandria’s now 6-0 in the month of July and have won nine of its last 10 games dating back to June 12.

Jordan Gau drove in three runs and both Ruesink and Jarding picked up two RBIs. Smith reached in all four of his plate appearances, collecting two hits and two walks. Alex Ferrin struck out 11 batters in seven scoreless innings to collect the pitching win, allowing only seven hits and a walk.

Seven players recorded hits for Corsica, with Logan Bakkar reaching twice on a hit and a walk, also recording the lone extra-base hit for the Horned Frogs with a fourth-inning double. Tyson Wentland struck out seven Angels hitters, but was named the losing pitcher after allowing three runs on three hits and four walks in five innings.

Alexandria (14-5) takes on the Parkston Rays in the District 5B semifinals at 7 p.m. on Sunday, July 27 for a spot in the district championship game. Corsica (5-12) faces Mount Vernon in an elimination game at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, July 29.

MADISON, S.D. — The opening game of the District 4B playoffs went the way of the Hartford/Humboldt Wood Ducks, as the No. 8-seeded team topped No. 9 Salem 7-4 in Madison on Friday.

The Wood Ducks totaled 11 hits as a team, with three coming off the bat of Jearl Jesson, including a two-run home run in the fourth inning to push the team out front for good. Brayden Odegaard had two hits and a run scored and Jacob Ellens drove in a run on two hits. Jesson was also the winning pitcher, allowing three hits in three scoreless innings of relief with six strikeouts.

Salem’s Kyle Tuschen and Tyler Earls recorded six of the 11 hits from the Cubs’ lineup, with Tuschen also driving in two runs. Jacob Vonberge had two RBIs and a run scored in the game. Isaac Anderson allowed seven runs on 10 hits in five innings of work in the loss.

Hartford/Humboldt (8-14) will battle top-seed Dell Rapids PBR in the District 4B quarterfinals at 5 p.m on Saturday, July 26. Salem (5-16) awaits the loser of Madison and the Hartford/Humboldt Gamecocks in an elimination game at 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 27 in Madison.

WYNOT, Neb. — A four-run seventh inning was the difference on Friday, as sixth-seeded Irene outlasted No. 3 Freeman 10-8 in the opening round of District 6B play.

The Cardinals batted around in the inning, as Anthony De La Torre Guglielman drove in the game-winning runs on a base hit to center field, finishing the game with two RBIs and a run scored. Marcus VanDriel and Dustin Livingston each picked up three hits and an RBI while Jake DeLange drove in a run and scored once.

Bailey Sage and Jake Weier hit home runs for Freeman, which posted 12 hits but committed four fielding errors, leading to two unearned runs coming across home plate. Sage was 3-of-4 with three RBIs and Weier drove in two runs and scored twice. Jackson Fiegen had two hits and an RBI at the plate but was the losing pitcher, allowing nine runs to score on 12 hits in six innings with five strikeouts.

Irene (4-12) battles Wynot (Neb.) in the District 6B semifinals at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, July 29. Freeman (7-8) will face the loser of that game for a spot in the Class B state amateur baseball tournament at 6 p.m on Thursday, July 31.

WYNOT, Neb. — Wynot (Neb.) pitchers Jackson Sudbeck and Landon Wieseler combined on a five-hit shutout against the seventh-seeded Menno Mad Frogs, powering the No. 2 Expos to a 4-0 victory on Friday in the District 6B playoffs.

Wieseler opened the game navigating around five walks and three hits over 6 1/3 innings, striking out five to record the pitching win. Sudbeck fanned four Mad Frogs hitters in 2 2/3 innings of relief to earn the save. Offensively, Carson Wieseler drove in two of Wynot’s four runs on two hits batting leadoff and David Schenk picked up an RBI.

Connor Merriam picked up two of the five hits for Menno in the game while Tate Miller and Brayden Sattler both reached twice on a pair of walks. Jared Hegedal allowed one earned run over eight innings on nine hits with three strikeouts, but the Mad Frogs committed four errors in the field.

Wynot (10-9) takes on Irene in the District 6B semifinals at 6 p.m on Tuesday, July 29. Menno (3-13) plays an elimination game against Crofton (Neb.) at 6 p.m on Sunday, July 27.