Dell Rapids team bounces Wynot out of State tny.

MITCHELL, S.D. — The Wynot Expos started out hot in their secondround game of the South Dakota Amateur Baseball Class B state tournament last week in Mitchell, SD.

The problem was, the Dell Rapids Mudcats were just a little bit hotter for a summer day.

The Expos (11-10) saw a first inning 4-0 lead slowly evaporate by th sixth inning and the Mudcats rallied for a 13-5 win to eliminate the squad from Wynot.

The Mudcats put together a stella state tournament run as they rolled through the competition to claim the 2021 State title with a 16-1 championship game route of the Flandreau Cardinals.

“We got off to a great start of the game,” Expos coach Lee Heimes said. “We made plays defensively and we were ahead until they tied the game in the fifth inning. They are one of the best teams in the stat and I liked how we went at them.

“They hit the ball well and it came down to making a couple more plays defensively.”

Wynot got nine hits with Jackson Sudbeck leading the way with a stellar four-hit performance which also included three RBI as he knocked out two doubles.

Jalen Wieseler added two hits for the Expos which struck out 13 times.

The first of Sudbeck’s doubles cleared the sacks in the first inning as Wynot went up 3-0. A Ryan Heimes grounder turned into a Mudcat error and Sudbeck scored to wrap up the eventful first inning with the Expos up 4-0.

“We battled their pitcher and made him throw a lot of pitches but we needed to score a few more runs to keep the pressure on them,” Heimes said.

The Mudcats pulled away from the sixth frame and ended the day with 16 hits.

All told, the Expos had a season they are used to: Elite status in the South Central District and another appearance at the state tournament.

“I liked how we were playing at the end of the year,” Heimes said. “We were going in the right direction but just needed to be more consistent.”

Now, the players will go on to their normal routines until the Expos beckon once again next year.

“We have some young players mixed with some older players which is a good mix,” Heimes said. “We have depth at the pitching position which will keep improving. We will gain some Legion players for next season.

“In the off season we don’t do a lot until springtime. I feel the next step for us is to win our district. I think we have the players to do that and make a deep run at state.”

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