Alexandria's Peyton Smith has been saying it all season: there's no better feeling than winning a state championship. And on Sunday, his Angels made sure that this year's title would be one to remember.
Sunday afternoon, at Cadwell Park, the Angels steamrolled Clark 12-2 in seven innings to claim their sixth South Dakota Class B amateur baseball tournament title overall, and first since 2020.
The Angels finished the season with a 21-3 overall record, also complete with the Sunshine League regular-season title, District 5B tournament title. They won their 52nd state tournament game all-time, which ranks as the fifth-most in state amateur baseball history.
A massive first inning set the tone, as Alexandria grabbed the lead on a Tyson Gau single that scored Dakota Munger. It was just the beginning of a first-inning avalanche that saw 14 batters come to the plate and put Clark at a 9-0 deficit before the Traders came up to bat for the first time.
"It's an awesome feeling; there's nothing better," said Alexandria player/manager Peyton Smith. "My feeling is the next one is always the best one. I love this."
On the mound, Alexandria turned to Munger for the first time in the tournament, and he was in complete control from the first pitch. He sent down the first two batters he faced on strikes as part of his eight strikeouts for the game while yielding nine hits and one walk in the seven-inning complete game.
For his efforts, Munger was named the Keith Culter Most Valuable Player for the Class B tournament, finishing 13-for-25 (.520) at the plate with nine runs batted in and four extra-base hits, including a home run, across five games in addition to the pitching win in the title game.
Clark, who won just one game between June 12 and the start of the District 1B tournament on July 25, came alive in the postseason with six victories in eight games, including four wins by a single run. Clark was recognized as the winners of the Richard Rockafellow Sportsmanship Award.
The Angels kept the offense rolling in the second, adding three more runs to make it 12-0. Ben Wilber paced the team with three hits, two runs batted in and two runs scored, while Munger added three RBIs, two hits and two runs scored.
Clark's Jakob Steen led the way offensively for the Traders with two hits and one RBI, while Marik Junker added two hits. For Clark, the title game defeat ended a magical tournament run.
On Tuesday, the Angels will look to build on their state championship and continue their winning streak. They'll face off against their next opponent in a post-season matchup that will surely be one to watch.
Source: Yahoo Sports