The Britton U16 baseball team came within one game of earning a berth in the state tournament last week.
After losing its Region 1 opener to Wessington Springs last week Monday 19-9 in Bryant, the local nine battled back through the loser’s bracket with wins over Leola-Frederick 14-12 and Wessington Springs 15-5 before losing to Hamlin on Thursday 12-4. Britton finished its season with a 7-12 record.
Hamlin defeated Elkton in the first championship game of the double elimination tournament but Elkton rebounded to win the title in a final contest. Both teams advanced to the state tournament in Parkston this weekend.
“A lot of encouraging things happened in the region tournament,” said Britton coach Bill Bray. “We were really good at bringing out energy early in the game and offensively our plate discipline was fantastic.”
Britton was also a force on the base paths, stealing 28 bases in the tourney and never being thrown out in a steal attempt. Bryce Heitkamp led the U16 club at the plate with a .817 on-base percentage.
Hamlin 12 Britton 4
Britton scored twice in the opening inning and led 2-0 after three frames but Hamlin erupted for back-to-back fourrun rallies to take charge, aided by seven Britton errors.
Ben Suther laced a pair of singles and had an RBI, Braun Kadoun doubled, Kendall Knudson singled and knocked in a run, Heitkamp, Will Richter, Lincoln Kilker, and Daniel Person singled, and Jade Tisher collected an RBI.
Hamlin 0 0 0 4 4 2 2 – 12 8 1 Britton 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 – 4 8 7
Ben Suther, Bryce Hawkinson (5), Will Richter (7) and Colton Chapin
Britton 15 Wessington Springs 5
Britton started fast with 13 runs in the first three innings to avenge its earlier defeat at the hands of Wessington Springs.
Mitch Burger had a big game for the local nine, allowing just two earned runs while walking only one and fanning five in going the distance on the mound. He also led his club at the plate, going 3-3 with a walk and four runs scored.
Heitkamp went 2-2 and walked a couple of times, scoring four times and collecting three RBI’s. Suther added a pair of hits and two RBI’s, Richter had a single and three RBI’s, Ben Folkman had a hit and RBI, and Hawkinson knocked in a run.
Britton 5 3 5 0 2 – 15 9 5 WS 1 2 1 0 1 – 5 7 4
Mitch Burger and Colton Chapin
Britton-Hecla 14 Leola-Frederick 12
Britton prevailed in a wild contest but had to weather a seven-run Leola-Frederick rally in the final inning.
Bray’s crew once again started fast with a seven-run first inning and led 14-5 heading into the seventh frame. But Leola-Frederick came roaring back, thanks in part to an inside-the-park grand slam home run with two outs that occurred because the Britton outfielder’s uniform became entangled in the fence as he tried to field the ball.
Bryce Hawkinson picked up the pitching win and Britton hurlers combined for nine strikeouts, allowed just five hits, and walked only two batters.
Heitkamp had a hit and drew three walks, scoring four runs. Suther, Richter, and Chapin each had a hit and two RBI’s, Hawkinson had a single and RBI, and Person, Folkman, and Tisher each knocked in a run.
Britton 7 1 0 1 2 2 1 – 14 5 8 L-F 0 1 2 0 0 2 7 – 12 11 8
Bryce Hawkinson, Ben Folkman (3), Dylan Redler (5), Mitch Burger (7) and Chapin
Wessington Springs 19 Britton 9
Britton went ahead 70 in the second inning but Wessington Springs erupted for back-to-back five-run innings and added six more in the fourth to take charge.
Knudson led Britton at the plate with a double, single, and three RBI’s. Hawkinson added a pair of singles, Chapin and Lofton Heer singled, and Folkman, Person, Tisher, and Kadoun each collected an RBI.
Britton 6 1 0 0 2 0 – 9 7 6 WS 0 5 5 6 1 2 – 19 11 2
Ben Suther, Jade Tisher (2), Kaden Mills (4), Dylan Redler (5) and Colton Chapin, Ben Suther (2)
