Day 10: 2025 South Dakota State Amateur Baseball Tournament
Tom A. Savage/BV Journalt
Matthew Link of the Platte Killer Tomatoes, fields a ball and throws to first for an out during play against the Castlewood Ravens in a Class B quarterfinal game Thursday night at First National Bank in Aspen Park, Brandon.
Castlewood Ravens 4, Platte Killer Tomatoes 3
A two-run seventh inning proved to be the difference as Castlewood won their fifth straight to reach the Class B semifinals.
Aiden Stewart reached base on an error and scored Beau Schooley to make it 3-2 in the seventh. Schliesman tripled one batter later to score Stewart, and Castlewood had a lead they’d never relinquish.
But Platte made it interesting in the bottom of the ninth. Hunter Hewitt opened the inning with a walk. Hayden Kuiper also walked, putting runners on first and third with one out.
Dawson Hoffman singled moments later to score one, and the Killer Tomatoes cut it to 4-3. But Castlewood pitcher Alex Gauer closed things out. He went the distance, striking out nine while giving up just five hits.
At the plate, Gus Steiger and Nate Phinney both had two hits each for the Ravens.
For Platte, Spencer Neugebauer had two hits to lead the Killer Tomatoes. Platte finished with five hits, including a double each from Cole Knippling and Matt Link.
Next up for Castlewood is a semifinal matchup with the Hartford-Humboldt Gamecocks on Saturday at 7:30.
Hartford-Humboldt Gamecocks 4, Dell Rapids Mudcats 3 - A Cam Quigley single in the bottom of the eighth scored one and Hartford-Humboldt hung on to advance in the Class B state tournament. The Gamecocks will now face Castlewood in the semifinals on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with a chance to advance to the finals.
Blake Svoboda pitched all nine innings for Hartford-Humboldt, striking out eight with seven hits. Broc Haldeman and Jonah Rechtenbaugh each had two hits for the Gamecocks. One of Rechtenbaugh’s hits was a triple.
Dell Rapids struck first after Jake Goble’s two-run home run in the top of the first for a 2-0 lead. The Gamecocks answered in the bottom of the first and cut it to 2-1 on a Devon Garry sacrifice fly that scored Joe Hanisch, who was hit by a pitch earlier in the inning.
Carter Gullickson and Grant Olson each finished with two hits in the loss. Goble finished with all three RBI for Del Rapids.
