STICKS TOP PARKSTON FOR 14U STATE TITLE
Considering the stellar season that it was, the Freeman/Marion 14u Teeners finished it off in the most fitting way possible — with a state championship.
Competing in the final round of the South Dakota VFW 14B State Tournament in Garretson Sunday afternoon, the Sticks blew past Parkston 14-4 to claim the title. It was the team’s third win in three days; Freeman/Marion also defeated Ethan/Emery 14-4 in the opening round on Friday and Britton 11-1 in the semifinals on Saturday for a collective triple trouncing of 39-9.
All three of their games ended early due to the 10-run mercy rule.
The 14u Sticks finish the season with a 26-3 record, with each of their three losses by a single run.
Tayden Kerrigan picked up the win on the mound for Freeman/Marion, giving up just two hits and striking out eight in 5 2/3 innings pitched. All four of the Trojans’ runs were unearned.
Oliver Waltner once again led the offense with an RBI single in the first and a bases clearing double in the third. Easton Tschetter and Kerrigan each had two RBI, Trey Maske had a pair of singles and Logun Pankratz doubled.
The Sticks finished with 11 hits while Parkston had just two.
Semifinals
The Freeman/Marion 14-and-unders have one game left this season and it’s for all the marbles.
The Sticks earned a spot in Sunday afternoon’s VFW 14B state championship game after beating Britton 11-1 in the semifinal round on Saturday. They will play Parkston at approximately 3 p.m. Sunday in Garretson. Parkston defeated Freeman/Marion 6-5 during the regular season on June 12.
The Sticks beat Britton behind strong play from Oliver Walter, who allowed just two hits and one walk while striking out 10 in 5 innings pitched. He threw 96 pitches. Waltner also went 3-for-4 at the plate with three RBI.
Logun Pankratz had two hits and two RBI and Easton Tschetter and Trey Maske both singled twice. Tschetter scored three of the team’s 11 runs, with Tayden Kerrigan and Waltner each scoring twice. Kerrigan had a double and also earned the save on the mound.
Britton’s only run was unearned in the first inning.
The Sticks go into Sunday’s title game with a 25-3 record and have won their last four games by a combined score of 49-8. That includes two wins over Tyndall in the Region 7 championship round July 17 (13-2 and 11-1), their opening-round win at state over Ethan/Emery on Friday (14-4) and Saturday’s 11-1 victory over Britton.
Parkston is 16-4-1. The Trojans’ path to state included an 18-17 win over Mt. Vernon/Plankinton in the Region 5 championship, an 8-7 victory over Winner in the first round of state and an 8-5 win over Clark Area in Saturday’s semifinal.
Freeman/Marion was third at state last year and won the 12u state championship in 2022.
Opening Round
Oliver Waltner drive in a pair of runs with an RBI double to start the scoring in the top of the first and Marion/Freeman never looked back, coming away with a 14-4 win over Ethan/Emery in the opening round of the VFW 14-and-under State Tournament in Garretson Friday afternoon, July 26.
The Sticks will play in the state semifinals Saturday afternoon against Britton, which defeated Baltic 13-3 on Friday. Freeman/Marion goes into the game 24-3; Britton is 17-9.
Theirs is the third game of the day on Saturday, with the first game beginning at 11 a.m.
On the other side of the 14u bracket, Parkston defeated Winner 8-7 and Clark Area defeated Garretson 10-7.
In addition to Waltner’s double against Ethan/Emery on Friday, the Sticks saw extra-base hits from Tayden Kerrigan, Trey Maske and Logun Pankratz, and Kerrigan and Maske teamed up for five RBI.
Pankratz was also the winning pitcher, allowing two runs on three hits and striking out six over four innings pitched.
