The Claremont U14 baseball team dropped four games in the state VFW Bravo Division tournament held in Dell Rapids Friday through Sunday, but the Honkers held their own against teams from larger communities.
Claremont also has players from Groton, Britton, and Langford so the populations from all those towns are counted when determining where they will be placed in five state divisions.
“Overall I was very pleased at how the kids improved and held their own at the state tournament,” said Claremont coach Joe Gustafson. “Half the teams in the state did not qualify for the opportunity to play at that level.”
In pool play on Friday the Honkers dropped a 12-2 decision to Dell Rapids and fell 18-2 to Tri-Valley. Sisseton posted a 9-3 win on Saturday and Wagner topped Claremont 11-5 in the fifth place game on Sunday.
Dell Rapids 12
Claremont 2
Dell Rapids broke open a 2-2 game with a seven-run second inning in the first round of pool play.
Nick Cutler doubled and Case Reints, Korbin McKane, Wes Morehouse, and Bentlee Zerr each singled for the Honkers.
Claremont 200 0 – 2 5 1
Dell Rapids 270 3 – 12 11 2
Wes Morehouse, Bentlee Zerr (2), Nick Cutler (2) and Case Reints; Dawson Bunkers, Brooks Brande (3) and Haiden Kaffar
Tri-Valley 18
Claremont 2
Tri-Valley grabbed a 10-0 lead in the third inning with back-to-back five-run rallies and then added seven more in the fourth in the second game of pool play.
“The goal in pool play is to try and make it through those games with your pitching intact for bracket play on Saturday (30 pitch maximum to be able to pitch the next day),” said Claremont coach Joe Gustafson, “and we were able to do that.”
Reints doubled, and Morehouse, Nick Cutler, Carter Glines, Zerr, and Charlie Schuller singled.
Tri-Valley 155 7 – 18 12 0
Claremont 002 0 – 2 6 5
Trey Sorenson, Will Winter (4) and Nolan Campbell; Case Reints, Korbin McKane (2), Carter Glines (2), Charlie Schuller (3), Ryker Bruns (4) and Nick Cutler
Sisseton 9
Claremont 3
Claremont battled eventual state champion Sisseton but left 14 runners on base, nine of them in scoring position, in the opening round of bracket play on Saturday.
Reints, Morehouse, Nick Cutler, and Tony Cutler each singled for Claremont. Reints went the distance on the mound, allowing just two earned runs and striking out four.
Claremont 100 200 0 – 3 4 5
Sisseton 221 301 x – 9 6 6
Case Reints and Nick Cutler; Alex Stickland, Owen Anderson (6) and Rylan Anderson
Wagner 11
Claremont 5
Claremont found itself in an 8-0 hole after the first inning as Wagner scored eight runs before the Honkers got an out in the fifth place contest. Gustafson’s crew cut that margin to three runs in the fifth but once again left 14 runners on base with nine in scoring position, including bases loaded with one out in the sixth.
Reints ripped a double and single and knocked in two runs to lead the Honkers at the plate. Schuller, Ryker Bruns, and Tony Cutler added safeties.
Wagner 800 000 3 – 11 15 3
Claremont 000 410 0 – 5 5 2
Tyler Ronfeldt and Cooper Kuhlman; Wes Morehouse, Bentlee Zerr (5) and Case Reints
