LEGION BASEBALL

Legion all-stars split doubleheader

CHAMBERLAIN — The North team took the first game, but the South fought back to win the second game in a split of an all-star Legion baseball doubleheader Monday in Chamberlain. The North All-Stars won the first game 8-7 and the South took the second game 11-0. The North’s Cody Heumiller, of Howard/Salem, had a double, an RBI and a run in the first game. His team trailed 5-3 after the first inning, but scored five runs in the sixth to take a late lead.

By Sports staff , August 04, 2010

Notebook: Hardhats take 37th state championship

By defeating Sioux Falls East 6-1 Sunday evening, the Rapid City Post 22 Legion baseball team claimed its 37th state championship. Dating back to 1926, Post 22 never won a state title until 1961. It won the next three state championships and won again in 1965, when current coach Dave Ploof took over.

By Luke Hagen , August 02, 2010

Opinion: Coaches say Cadwell needs to host state more often

Pierre Legion baseball coach Bob Sullivan misses playing on Cadwell Park. Sullivan — a member of Mitchell’s 1999 state Legion championship team — said he was excited when he heard his former town would be the host of this year’s state tournament. It actually gave him a little more incentive to prepare his team to qualify. “I always love coming back to Cadwell,” said Sullivan, whose team was eliminated Friday in the third round. “It always brings back some memories. This week, I got to see a lot of baseball people that I don’t usually get to see when I come back.”

By Luke Hagen , August 02, 2010

Post 22 wins another title

The state Legion baseball tournament finished up early Sunday evening after a five-day event that saw a little bit of everything. There were upsets, blowouts, walk-off home runs and a rain delay that forced the tournament to restructure its format to get all the action in. But after all the dust settled, the favorite rose above the rest.

By Travis Mester , August 02, 2010

Post 22 still unbeaten

Michael Kelly hit an RBI single into left field to score Jordan Carlson with the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning to push Rapid City Post 22 past Sioux Falls East 3-2 in a state Legion baseball tournament game Friday night. The matchup was the last game of Friday’s third round and pitted the final two unbeaten teams in the double-elimination tournament. “That was just a great ballgame, both teams really competed tough and (Tyler) Jones is a bulldog on the mound. He’s a really tough competitor,” Rapid City Post 22 manager Dave Ploof said. “We got timely hitting and you want to stay in the winner’s bracket as long as you can, and that’s what we did.”

By Sports staff , July 31, 2010

Aberdeen takes out Alexandria

The Alexandria Legion baseball team has had quite a season. After rolling to the Region 4B championship, coach Jerry Smith and company won the Class B state Legion championship in Lennox. That earned Alexandria a spot in this week’s state Legion baseball tournament against the best the state has to offer at the Class A level. Like many of the Class B champs that came before them, that’s where the fairytale story ended for the Angels. Aberdeen trounced Alexandria 15-0 in an elimination game of the state Legion baseball tournament Friday at Drake Field.

By Travis Mester , July 31, 2010

Big innings doom Post 18

The Mitchell Legion team ended its game against Watertown rather fittingly Friday evening. With the bases loaded and a prime chance to tie the must-win game, Watertown’s shortstop scooped up a bouncing ball and flipped it to second to end Post 18’s season. Mitchell left 17 men on base and struck out 18 times in its elimination game against Watertown in Post 18’s final game of the state Legion baseball tournament. Like Sioux Falls East earlier in the day, Watertown had one big inning against Mitchell to score the majority of its runs and hand Post 18 a loss. Post 18 lost to Sioux Falls East 8-4 and Watertown 9-7 to end its season.

By Luke Hagen , July 31, 2010

Mitchell falls to Sioux Falls East 8-4

The Mitchell baseball team fell to Sioux Falls East 8-4 in the second round of the state Legion baseball tournament Thursday. Post 18 falls into to the loser’s bracket to play Watertown at 5:30 p.m. tonight in an elimination game at Cadwell Park. Sioux Falls East scored six runs in the fourth inning off three hits to take a 7-2 lead.

By Sports staff , July 30, 2010

Alexandria, S.F. West eliminated from state Legion tournament

The Alexandria and Sioux Falls West baseball teams were eliminated from the state Legion tournament Friday. Alexandria — the Class B representative — lost 15-0 to Aberdeen, while West was beaten by Watertown 7-5 in walk-off fashion.

By Sports staff , July 30, 2010

Tournament to resume today

A rainy Thursday postponed the second round of the state Legion baseball tournament at Cadwell Park. But while Mother Nature certainly threw the eight-team field a curveball, it may have just added more anticipation to the final three days of play. As if it was needed. Tournament officials’ hopes are to play seven games at Cadwell Park and Drake Field when play resumes this morning at 10 a.m. with the conclusion of an elimination game between Watertown and Sioux Falls West. West was batting with two outs in the top of the third inning of a 4-4 tie when the first rains came just before 11 a.m. Thursday.

By Travis Mester , July 30, 2010

London faces former Alexandria teammates

Zach London was waiting a long time for his revenge. When he got his chance, he took full advantage. London — who lives in Mount Vernon but plays on Mitchell’s Legion team — remembers three years ago when his teener team lost to Alexandria in the state tournament. The come-from-behind win for Alexandria has stuck in the pit of London’s stomach for some time. That is, until late Wednesday night, when Mitchell beat Alexandria’s Legion team in the first round of the state Legion baseball tournament 13-10.

By Luke Hagen , July 30, 2010

Rainy day gives pitchers extra rest

Mitchell coach Luke Norden still isn’t sure who he’s going to start in today’s second-round state Legion baseball tournament game. Though, he usually doesn’t announce who’s going to pitch until pre-game warm ups. Thursday’s rain and postponed tournament isn’t bothering Norden much. Nor is it bugging Brandon Hunt, Sioux Falls East’s coach, whose team will play Mitchell at approximately 3 p.m. today.

By Luke Hagen , July 30, 2010

State Legion baseball tournament postponed to Friday

The state Legion baseball tournament has been postponed until Friday morning. Play will begin at 10 a.m. and all four second-round games will be shortened to seven innings. The conclusion of the Watertown versus Sioux Falls West game will be played at Cadwell Park at 10 a.m. Aberdeen and Alexandria will play their elimination game at approximately 11 a.m. on Drake Field. Pierre and Rapid City Post 22 will play following the Watertown/Sioux Falls West game at Cadwell Park and Sioux Falls East will play Mitchell following the Pierre/Post 22 game on Cadwell Park. Third-round games will be played immediately following the conclusion of the second round Friday. A decision will be made, depending on time, if the third-round games will be seven or nine-inning contests.

By Sports staff , July 29, 2010

State Legion tournament postponed further

Because of the rain in the Mitchell area, the state Legion baseball tournament has been postponed until 6 p.m. at the earliest. The field will be evaluated at 4 p.m. and the decision will be made at that time if the tournament will resume today or not. If the rain stops and the field is able to be worked on, play will begin with the Waterown and Sioux Falls West game resuming in the third inning at Cadwell Park and the other elimination game, which pits Aberdeen aginst Alexandria, will start at 6 p.m. on Drake Field. If play begins at 6 p.m., the two winner's bracket games would still be played tonight at Cadwell Park following the Watertown/S.F. West game.

By Sports staff , July 29, 2010

State tournament postponed, will resume at 3 p.m. today

The elimination game of the state Legion baseball tournament between Watertown and Sioux Falls West has been postponed by rain in the third inning. The field will be evaluated at 2 p.m. and the game will start up again tentatively at 3 p.m. The game is tied at 4 with two outs in the top of the third inning.

By Sports staff , July 29, 2010