‘Another notch in the legacy of PBR baseball’

MITCHELL, S.D. (KELO) — Dell Rapids PBR claimed the Class ‘B’ amateur baseball championship this weekend for its first title since 2007.

PBR claimed five wins over the course of nine days and held the opposition to three runs or fewer in each game. It closed the tournament with three wins in three days, including a 3-1 win over the Platte Killer Tomatoes in the title game.

“It’s one of the greatest feelings in the world to be able to come out on top after playing, in my opinion, the toughest tournament around in baseball,” tournament MVP Drew Sweeter said.

The championship was scoreless until the seventh inning, when Platte took the lead. Dells answered with a three-run rally in the bottom of the inning to surge in front.

“Every championship game, you’ve got to grind and we had to grind out the at bats,” Dell Rapids PBR head coach Dale Solberg said. “We couldn’t go down swinging. We had to make contact, put pressure on their defense and we had good at bats against a really quality pitcher.”

On top of reaching the summit, the strong turnout from fans through the tourney made the experience extra special for the players.

“Part of it just being the atmosphere, how many people show up, it just feels like it’s a big thing,” Dell Rapids PBR outfield/pitcher Brayden Pankonen said. “In South Dakota, obviously, we don’t have a lot of sporting events here, but it brings a crowd. And ultimately all the people from Dell Rapids.”

The championship is the program’s tenth overall and first in 17 years.

“We kind of thought our run had ended there, and here we are in 2024, and we’ve got a great young crew and so proud of them,” Solberg said. “It’s just another notch in the legacy of PBR baseball.”

Sweeter was named tournament MVP as he earned the pitching win in the title game. PBR finished the year 16-12.

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