Play Two Games On Monday
The Britton U16 Teener baseball team is playing its best baseball at the right time, winning seven of its last eight contests, and now Coach Bill Bray’s club will host the Region 7B tournament next Monday through Wednesday.
The local nine will take an 11-9 record against Selby at 1:30 p.m. Monday and battle Leola-Frederick at 6:30 p.m. in the double elimination tourney. Selby vs. Leola-Frederick in the other Monday contest at 4 p.m. The games will be the first played on Britton’s field since the renovation work was completed.
Tuesday’s games are scheduled for 4 and 6:30 p.m. with a second championship game, if needed, set for 6 p.m. Wednesday. If all three teams should end up 1-1 after the first day, the first title game would be moved to Wednesday with a second game, if needed, to follow.
“We just need to keep doing what we’ve been doing over the past eight games,” said Bray, “playing good defense and pitching well. Early in the season our defense was lacking but that has changed considerably, and all eight of our last games have been tight against some pretty good teams. The kids are really putting it together and figuring out how to win.”
Britton wrapped up regular season play by sweeping a twin bill from Sisseton on Monday 2-0 and 2-1, and downed a strong Groton team 11-9 on Friday. A scheduled contest at Mobridge on Saturday was cancelled.
Bray’s crew had had success against Leola-Frederick this season, winning all four games, but two of those were by a single run. Selby brings an 18-9 record into regional play and also played L-F four times, winning three of them and also playing a pair of onerun contests.
“It should be a pretty competitive region,” noted Bray, whose club was one win away from qualifying for the state tournament a year ago. “I think any one of the three teams could come out of it. It’s down to the nitty-gritty now.”
The regional champion will advance to the South Dakota Class B VFW Teener Tournament set for Platte Aug. 9-11.
Britton 2-2 Sisseton 0-1
Britton received some strong pitching performances in earning the sweep over Sisseton in a pair of five-inning contests.
Bryce Hawkinson hurled a two-hit shutout in the opener. Dylan Redler pitched the first four and two-thirds innings of the nightcap, giving up just one run, and Jace Rein came on in relief with the bases loaded and struck out the final batter.
Rein ripped a triple, Hawkinson had an RBI double, and Redler singled for Britton’s three hits in game one. Hits were not available for the second game.
Britton 100 01 – 2 3 Sisseton 000 00 – 0 2 Bryce Hawkinson Britton 100 10 – 2 Sisseton 000 01 – 1 Dylan Redler, Jace Rein (5)
Britton 11 Groton 9
Groton had defeated Britton 10-0 earlier in the season and led 4-0 in the first inning on Friday, but the local nine battled back for the win.
“Dylan Redler started on the mound and gave up four runs in the bottom of the first, but he didn’t give up another hit until the fifth inning and kept us in the game,” said Bray.
Britton still trailed 7-2 in the sixth frame of the nineinning contest but exploded from that point on. Jade Tisher came on in relief for three innings and Colton Chapin earned the save, getting the final four outs.
Eight players had at least one hit in Britton’s 14-hit attack. Ben Folkman rapped three singles and had two RBI’s, Colton Chapin had a pair of safeties and three RBI’s, Redler and Drew Heitmann both had two singles, Ben Suther had a single and knocked in two runs, Will Richter added a two-run single, and Tisher and Nathan Folkman singled.
