The unbeaten season for the Sisseton-Britton-Webster (SBW) high school baseball team continued this week as the Mallards earned a pair of one-win victories over Groton last week Tuesday 7-6 and 3-2 and then throttled Mount Vernon-Plankinton-Corsica-Stickney (MVPCS) on Sunday 18-7.
Coach Mark Nelson’s crew stands at 7-0 heading into a single contest with Clark today (Wednesday) in Sisseton at 5:30 p.m. On Saturday the Mallards will host two games in Sisseton beginning at 1 p.m. against Hot Springs and 5 p.m. against Warner-Ipswich-Northwestern (WIN). Next week Wednesday SBW travels to Clear Lake to battle Deuel in a twin bill starting at 5:30 p.m.
“We picked up a couple of gritty wins against a good Groton team that’s well coached,” said Nelson. “On Sunday I was proud of our boys who had a long trip and still managed to stay focused and really prepared for our game well in spite of some weather.”
SBW 7-3
Groton 6-2
Groton grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the opener but SBW looked to be in charge after exploding for five tallies in the third on four hits, led by a two-run double from Colton Chapin. Nelson’s club still led 6-2 heading into the final frame but Groton rallied for four runs to knot the contest at 6-6 in the top of the seventh. Chapin responded again with a walk-off single for the win.
Kaden Mills picked up the pitching win, relieving Ben Suther with one out in the seventh when Suther reached his pitch limit. Suther allowed five hits over six and a third innings, fanned 13, and walked two.
The Mallards out-hit Groton 10-8, led by Chapin’s double, single, and two RBI’s. Max Dalen added a pair of safeties and knocked in two runs, and Suther laced a pair of hits. Carter Stickland, Rylan Anderson, LJ Crooks, and Mitchell Burger each singled.
SBW came up with some late-game heroics again in the nightcap when Levi Nelson broke a 2-2 tie with an RBI-single in the top of the seventh and winning pitcher Anderson blanked Groton in the bottom of the inning. SBW had tied the game with a run in the third, aided by a Groton error.
Crooks started on the mound and went two and a third innings. Anderson did not allow a hit the rest of the way and fanned seven batters.
The Mallards held a 6-4 hit advantage. Nelson laced a pair of singles and stole six bases, batting in the lead-off position. Suther, Chapin, Dylan Redler, and Will Richter each singled.
“We manufactured two runs against a Groton pitcher who threw extremely well (12 strikeouts),” noted Nelson. “Speed on the bases created just enough for the win. I feel we may have stolen that second game from Groton after almost giving away the first one. Rylan Anderson really threw well in relief getting out of several innings with runners on base, and it was a great team effort.”
FOR FULL STATS SEE THIS WEEK'S JOURNAL.
