LCW Dirt Devils punch ticket to State B Amateur Baseball Tournament

The #4-seeded LCW Dirt Devils are headed to the State B Amateur Baseball Tournament in Brandon, SD after a commanding 7-1 win over the #5 Akron Rebels. With the victory, the Devils advance to face Four Corners in the opening round of the tournament on Saturday, Aug. 9 at 11:00 a.m.

The road to state wasn’t without adversity. On Thursday, July 31, the Devils fell to the #3 Elk Point Colt 45s in a tough 6-2 loss.

The game began with LCW  going scoreless in the top of the first. Elk Point responded with three consecutive singles, loading the bases, but a key double play and ground out limited the damage. The Devils struck first in the second inning as Brett Duncan singled and later scored on a Camden Berndt groundout, giving LCW a 1-0 lead.

Elk Point tied the game in the bottom of the second and continued their offense with two more runs in the third to take a 3-2 lead. They never looked back, adding to their advantage in the fifth and seventh innings with timely hits. 

LCW had opportunities late in the game, but a triple play turned by Elk Point in the eighth crushed a late comeback attempt.

Despite the loss, the Devils had one more shot at State—and they made it count. Their strong performance against Akron on Saturday secured their spot among the state’s best.

Akron struck first in the top of the first inning, taking a 1–0 lead after an error at third base allowed a runner to score. But from there, LCW pitcher Quentin Evers settled in, recording three strikeouts in the first two innings and shutting down Akron’s offense.

In the bottom of the first, the Devils answered in a big way. 

Duncan, Aiden McCafferty, and Evers all delivered RBI singles to give LCW a 3–1 lead. They kept the pressure on in the second inning, scoring three more runs thanks to a single by Peyton Garbers, a two-run single from Duncan, and an Akron error.

Evers continued his dominant outing on the mound, striking out eight over five innings and working out of several jams with key pitches and defensive support behind him. Akron’s only run was unearned.

LCW tacked on one more insurance run in the bottom of the 8th when Talen Eich reached on an error, allowing Berndt to score from third.

Duncan led the offensive charge, going 5-for-5 with 3 RBI and a run scored. McCafferty, Garbers, and Evers, and Levi Parker also tallied RBIs in the win.

The Devils’ defense also came up big, executing timely outs to escape trouble—including a key throw from right field by McCafferty in the fifth to stop a baserunner.

With the 7–1 win, LCW advances to the State B Amateur Baseball Tournament and will square off with Four Corners in the opening round. First pitch is set for 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 9, in Brandon.

Complete schedule of the State Class B Tournament is as follows: Class B state amateur baseball tournament

Aug. 6-17 at First National Bank Field in Brandon

First round 

Wednesday, Aug. 6 

G1: Flandreau Cardinals vs. Parkston Mudcats, 5:30 p.m.

G2: Lake Norden vs. Alexandria, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 7

G3: Canova vs. Elk Point, 11 a.m.

G4: Volga vs. Garretson, 1 p.m.

G5: Dell Rapids PBR vs. Plankinton, 5:30 p.m.

G6: Parkston Devil Rays vs. Madison, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 8

G7: Milbank vs. Wynot (Neb.), 11 a.m.

G8: Groton vs. Kimball/White Lake, 1 p.m.

G9: Flandreau Blue Teal vs. Clark, 5:30 p.m.

G10: Crofton (Neb.) vs. Castlewood, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 9

G11: Four Corners vs. Lennox/Chancellor/Worthing, 11 a.m.

G12: Platte vs. Redfield DQ, 1 p.m.

G13: Larchwood (Iowa) vs. Hartford/Humboldt Gamecocks, 5:30 p.m.

G14: Wessington Springs vs. Tabor, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 10

G15: Freeman vs. Burke, 11 a.m.

G16: Dell Rapids Mudcats vs. Winner/Colome, 1 p.m.

Second round 

Sunday, Aug. 10

G17: G1 winner vs. G2 winner, 5:30 p.m.

G18: G3 winner vs. G4 winner, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Aug. 11

G19: G5 winner vs. G6 winner, 5:30 p.m.

G20: G7 winner vs. G8 winner, 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 12

G21: G9 winner vs. G10 winner, 5:30 p.m.

G22: G11 winner vs. G12 winner, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 13

G23: G13 winner vs. G14 winner, 5:30 p.m.

G24: G15 winner vs. G16 winner, 7:30 p.m.

Quarterfinals

Thursday, Aug. 14

G25: G17 winner vs. G18 winner, 5:30 p.m.

G26: G19 winner vs. G20 winner, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 15

G27: G21 winner vs. G22 winner, 5:30 p.m.

G28: G23 winner vs. G24 winner, 7:30 p.m.

Semifinals

Saturday, Aug. 16

G29: G25 winner vs. G26 winner, time TBD.

G30: G27 winner vs. G28 winner, 7:30 p.m.

Championship

Sunday, Aug. 17

G31: Semifinal winners, 2 p.m.