For the fourth straight season, a team from the Cornbelt League was victorious as Dell Rapids PBR defeated the Platte Killer Tomatoes 3-1 in Sunday’s State Amateur Baseball Championship.
Scoreless through six innings, Platte scored its lone run in the top of the seventh inning on a Michael Buitenbos two out single to bring in Jeff Harris from third. Harris, a pickup player from the Parkston Mudcats, tripled to deep center field with one out.
Platte starter Grant Doom would give up three runs in the bottom of the seventh on a pair of outfield bloop singles to Matt Gillogly and Riley Calhoon to give PBR a 3-1 lead going to the eighth inning.
Doom was tagged with the loss, going eight innings, allowing three runs on seven hits with six strikeouts on 133 pitches.
The Killer Tomatoes rallied in the top of the ninth inning with Doom leading off the inning with a hit-by-pitch, followed by a Richard Sternberg single to shallow center field with two outs. Buitenbos would pop out to second base to end the rally, the game and the season for Platte.
Lefty Riley Hoffman got the start on the mound for Dell Rapids, going 4 1/3 shutout innings, allowing three hits before being pulled for 2B Drew Sweeter.
Seth Muth for Platte failed on a suicide squeeze, popping up to Sweeter on the mound with Jeff Harris caught off of third base as Sweeter got an inning ending double play on his first pitch of the game to end the Killer Tomatoes threat.
Sweeter would get credit for the win, throwing 2 2/3 innings, allowing one run on four hits.
Brayden Pankonen threw the final two innings for PBR, allowing one hit to end the season with a 0.00 ERA in 21 2/3 innings.
Platte also threatened to score in the top of the third inning, but 1B Mason Townsend grounded out to first base with the bases loaded and two outs.
It is the 10th state amateur baseball championship for Dell Rapids, the seventh as Dell Rapids PBR and the first since 2007.
Platte ends the season with a 14-8 record and made its first state championship game after defeating the Dell Rapids Mudcats, Alexandria, the Hartford/Humboldt Wood Ducks and Dimock-Emery.
The team sportsmanship award went to Dimock-Emery, the tournament batting champ was Larchwood’s Keaton Grevengoed and the tournament MVP Drew Sweeter was of Dell Rapids PBR.