Apr. 23—PLATTE, S.D. — The Platte-Geddes/Dakota Christian/White Lake Honkers baseball team delivered a statement win on Sunday, splitting a doubleheader with Lennox and handing the Orioles their first loss of the season.
PGDCWL took the opening game 3-2 in a tightly contested pitcher's duel before Lennox responded with an 11-4 victory in the nightcap. The split moves Lennox to 10-1 on the season in Class B, the second-best record just behind Dell Rapids' 12-1 mark, while the Honkers improve to 4-2, with their only other loss coming in a narrow 4-3 decision against Redfield Area on April 11.
In Game 1, the Honkers leaned on dominant pitching and timely hitting to beat the previously unbeaten Orioles. Keaton Christensen set the tone on the mound, pitching 5 1/3 innings while allowing just two hits and one earned run. He struck out five batters and walked one against one of the state's most productive offenses.
Kenyon Kuiper closed the door in relief, tossing 2 2/3 innings and allowing just one unearned run. He did not surrender a hit or a walk while striking out five of the eight batters he retired. As a staff, the Honkers held a Lennox lineup averaging nearly 10 runs per game to just two hits and two runs.
Offensively, PGDCWL made the most of its opportunities. Christensen led the way at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Jye Bailey added a strong performance, finishing 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a walk. Kuiper chipped in the team's fifth hit, scoring a run and drawing a walk in the win.
Lennox answered in Game 2, breaking things open with a five-run sixth inning on the way to an 11-4 victory. Despite the loss, the Honkers continued to show consistency at the plate. Bailey again helped lead the offense, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. Kuiper added two hits, while Christensen contributed a hit and drove in two runs.
Through six games, the Honkers have built a solid start to the season. They opened the year with a 6-3 win over Winner/Colome on April 9, followed with a 14-1 victory against Groton Area on April 11, and picked up a 10-6 win over Gregory on April 13. The team is averaging 6.6 runs per game while allowing 4.5 runs defensively.
PGDCWL will look to build on its momentum when it hosts Winner/Colome (3-1) at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 23 in Platte.
A look at the top baseball performers from around the Mitchell region, through games played April 22.
* Despite getting out hit for the game, Bon Homme handed Freeman/Canistota/Marion its first loss of the season on Wednesday, 9-4. The Cavaliers tallied seven nine hits, while FCM had nine but Bon Homme (5-1) was able to capitalize on its opportunities behind a four-RBI performance from Alex Adler. Bon Homme's Madden Merkwan went 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs, and Carter Smith went 1-for-3 with two RBIs. For FCM, who moved to 6-1 on the season, Riley Tschetter earned the start on the mound and had 10 strikeouts in five innings pitched, while allowing four hits and three earned runs. Hunter Nankivel went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, and Luke Peters had two hits.
* Parkston has had a strong start to the year at 3-2, winning three of its last four games, including victories over Bon Homme (7-6), Tri-County (15-0) and Scotland/Menno (8-4). In the Trojans' most recent win against the Trappers on April 15, Parkston was led by Jaxx Kurtenbach's 2-for-4 performance at the plate with three BRIs and two runs scored, while Grady Bowar added two hits and two RBIs. Bowar also earned the start on the mound and pitched 6 1/3 innings with four strikeouts while allowing three earned runs and only one walk. Mason Jervik had a two-RBI base hit for Parkston, who lost to Dell Rapids on Wednesday 11-1.
* Hanson/Bridgewater-Emery earned a walk-off 5-4 win against Clark Area on Saturday, April 18, before dropping its most recent contest 4-3 against a Sioux Falls Christian team that is 5-2-1 on Monday. In the win against Clark Area, the Bulldogs were down 4-3 in the bottom of the extra inning in the eighth, until Nate Wilber delivered an RBI double and Carter Endorf drew a walk with the bases loaded to seal the walk-off victory. Hanson/Bridgewater-Emery was led offensively by Radek Jardings' 3-for-3 performance at the plate with two RBIs and one run scored. Brayden Bahmuller went 2-for-3 with an RBI and one run scored, while Wilber added a two-hit outing with one RBI. Layton Popp went seven innings on the mound, pitching 12 strikeouts while allowing two earned runs, two hits and three walks.
* Mount Vernon/Plankinton/Corsica-Stickney picked up its first win of the season in a 7-6 walk-off victory over Scotland/Menno on Monday. MVPCS' Sawyer Williams delivered the game-winning RBI single to seal the team's first win in the bottom of the eighth inning. The Padres were paced by Ethan Hoffman's 3-for-3 day at the plate with three RBIs, while Keagan Hill added two hits and two runs scored.
* Wagner/Avon/Lake Andes also earned its first win of the season against Mount Vernon/Plankinton/Corsica-Stickney in a 10-9 victory on Saturday, April 18. Dominic Doom delivered a three-run home run in the third inning, followed by an RBI single in the fourth to lead WALA to its first win. Cale Cooper had two hits and two runs scored, while Trasin Dilts posted two hits, two runs scored and an RBI. Jacob Kotab also had a two-hit performance with a run scored, and Ryder Insko added a 2-for-3 day at the No. 9 hole with an RBI.
* Winner/Colome claimed a 16-4 victory against Chamberlain/Kimball/Lyman on Monday to push its record to 3-1 on the season with three-straight wins. In the victory, Winner/Colome posted nine runs in the bottom of first inning and seven more runs in the fourth to seal the run-rule victory in five innings. Camdyn Anderson paced W/C offensively with two hits, three RBIs and two runs scored, while Cooper Craven added a 2-for-2 performance with three RBIs and two runs scored. Mason Beehler and Carter McKenzie each added two RBIs with a hit. McKenzie also earned the start on the mound and went the distance, tossing five innings with three strikeouts while allowing two earned runs and two walks.
* Gregory picked up its second win of the season against Wagner/Avon/Lake Andes on Sunday, April 19, 15-5. Gregory drew 24 walks as a team with 10 hits and nine RBIs. Carter Baumgartner led the way with two hits, three runs scored and two walks, while Lincoln Juracek added a 2-for-2 performance with four runs scored and four walks. Dylan Fiebelkorn had three RBIs and Cash Hemming and Aiden Frasch each had two RBIs for Gregory.
* With at least three games played, three teams remain unbeaten in Class B, paced by Sisseton/Britton-Hecla/Webster at 6-0, West Central at 5-0 and Milbank is 3-0. Dell Rapids is at the top at 12-1, Lennox is 10-1, Madison is 9-1, Vermillion is 7-1 and Freeman/Canistota/Marion sits at 6-1.