ELKTON -- The Parkston 12-year-old baseball team claimed the South Dakota VFW Class B under-12 championship on Sunday.

The team accomplished the feat with a 9-4 victory over Lake Norden in the title round.

Parkston also had an 11-year-old team in the tournament, and the two squads met in the semifinal round, with Parkston’s 12s winning 9-7 to advance.

Mount Vernon claimed third place in the tournament, defeating the Parkston 11s in the third-place game by a 5-3 score. Lake Norden defeated Mount Vernon 12-11 in the semifinals.

Prior to winning the championship, Parkston was defeated in its opening game Friday, falling 3-1 to Canistota/Freeman. But the team recorded a 11-0 victory over Platte-Geddes on Friday, and then defeated Hamlin 4-3 in the quarterfinals to set up a chance at the championship on Sunday.

Other quarterfinal scores from Saturday included: Mount Vernon defeated Canistota/Freeman 1-0; Lake Norden defeated Salem 10-3; and the Parkston 11s defeated Canova 1-0.

Big offense carries Canistota/Freeman to 10U state title

SALEM -- Offensive firepower carried Canistota/Freeman to the South Dakota VFW Baseball under-10 state championship on Sunday.

Canistota/Freeman scored 67 runs over the course of five games to claim the title, capped by a 13-0 win over the hosts from Salem in the championship round.

The tournament featured 14 teams from both Class A and Class B communities, with each team guaranteed three games. Pool play took place on Friday in Salem and Center, with championship bracket play unfolding Saturday and Sunday on two fields in Salem.

In the semifinals, Canistota/Freeman dispatched Dakota Valley by a 9-2 score, and Salem defeated Platte-Geddes 10-6.

Dakota Valley and Platte-Geddes met in the third-place game, with Platte-Geddes emerging with a 12-3 win.

In the quarterfinal round Saturday, Canistota/Freeman defeated Kimball/White Lake 16-5, Dakota Valley defeated Parker 18-7, Salem topped Britton 5-1, and Platte-Geddes defeated West Central 13-8.

West Central claims Class A title for 12U division

NORTH SIOUX CITY — West Central claimed the Class A under-12 VFW state tournament championship on Sunday.

The West Central Boltz defeated Dakota Thunder 14-5 at the tournament championship, held at the Dakota Valley Recreation Complex. West Central won three times once in bracket play, defeating the Madison Bulldogs 7-5 and Madison 11U 8-2 in the semifinals. Dakota Thunder had a first-round bye in bracket play and outlasted Lennox 3-1 in the semifinals.

Lennox defeated Madison 11U 9-5 in the third-place game.

Clearfield, located in the Winner area, was the only area team in the Class A tournament. The team lost twice in pool play to both Dakota Thunder and the West Central Trojans, and then defeated Worthing 12-2 and lost 15-2 to Tri-Valley in the Friendship Bracket final.