The members of the Wessington Springs VFW 16U Teener baseball team who earned the Region Championship and will be playing in the State Tournament this weekend are pictured, back row, left to right: Coach Cory Mohling, Landon Cleveland, Camden Jost, Quinten Christensen, Cooper Hainy, Mason Schelske, Draven Thompson and Coach Perry Jost; middle row: Dylan Schimke, Cale Mohling, Brady Larson, Tyler Fastnacht and Blake Larson; front row: Brock Krueger, Carson Hainy, Tyler Kole, Cade Mohling, Austin Schimke, Coen Harvey and Clay Olinger.

Last week, the Wessington Springs VFW 16U Teeners Baseball team hosted the Region tournament, and they ended up in the top spot, advancing to the state tournament. 

Their first-round game was on Monday, July 20, against the FH Hitmen, and they won the game, with a final score of 4-3 thanks to a walk-off single. The game was tied at three, with Wessington Springs batting in the bottom of the seventh when Quinten Christensen singled on the first pitch of his at bat, scoring one run and securing the win for the Springs team.

For the second round of play, the Wessington Springs 16U team were up against the team from Clark on Tuesday afternoon. The Wessington Springs team defeated Clark 1-0 as two pitchers combined to throw a shutout. 

On Wednesday afternoon, Wessington Springs grabbed an early lead on its way to a 13-7 victory over Clark to earn the Region Championship and advance to the state tournament. WS scored on an error, a sacrifice fly by Coen Harvey, a single by Cooper Hainy, and a fielder’s choice by Quinten Christensen in the second inning. Then in the fifth inning, they pulled away for good with five runs scored to claim the victory.

The Wessington Springs VFW 16U Teeners will take part in the State Tournament this weekend, July 31 through Aug. 2, in Canova. Their first game will be on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. against Canova. 

…See more details and photos of the games in this week’s issue of the Sanborn Weekly Journal!