- For the first time since 2018, the Yankton Bucks Baseball squad advanced to the quarterfinal round of the South Dakota High School Baseball Playoffs, and the 9th seeded Bucks did so by defeating the 8th seeded Pierre Governors 7-1 in the opening round at Ronken Field in Sioux Falls on Saturday.
BUCKS ADVANCE: 11 Seconds
The Bucks were led by a complete 7 inning game performance from Joe Gokie, who notched six strikeouts, allowed just four hits and one run. Bucks coach Drew Lawrence was extremely confident that Gokie would bring his best performance to the mound that evening.
TRUST GOKIE: 11 Seconds
The celebration was short lived, as the Bucks then would immediately face off against 1st seeded Sioux Falls Roosevelt in the quarterfinal round, a team that defeated the Bucks twice in the regular season and entered the playoffs with a 24-1 record. The Bucks did stick with Roosevelt through four deadlocked innings of zero runs apiece, which eventually changed when Drew Ryken bolted for home on a passed ball.
BUCKS SCORE: 11 Seconds
Roosevelt would tie the score in the 6th and then were gifted a rare misread by the Yankton outfield, resulting in a triple to begin the bottom of the 7th.
LOST IN THE SKY: 20 Seconds
A sacrifice fly would end the game, and the Bucks would end their 2022 campaign with a 13-11 record. Lawrence recognized immediately how special this team was and now looks forward immediately to the Legion season which begins next week.
SUPER PROUD: 14 Seconds
The South Dakota High School Baseball State Semi-Finals and Championship are Saturday at Sioux Falls Stadium beginning at 12pm.
- The Yankton Tappers baseball squad suffered their first defeat of the young season last night, dropping a 7-5 contest at Wynot in South Central League play. The Tappers were led offensively by Tyler Linch who secured two RBI in the contest. On the mound, Shane Miller was saddled with the loss after 2 innings pitched and six runs allowed in the bottom of the 7th. The Tappers now 2-1, return to Riverside Field Thursday to host Vermillion. First pitch set for 7pm.
- Michigan pitcher Alex Storako struck out 12 batters and took a shutout into the seventh inning to lead the Wolverines to a 4-1 victory over South Dakota State, ending the Jackrabbits’ season at the NCAA Softball Tournament Sunday afternoon at the UCF Sports Complex. In defeating SDSU for the second time in the double-elimination regional, Michigan improved to 38-16 and advanced to the championship round against host Central Florida. The Jackrabbits, who were making their second consecutive NCAA appearance, closed out the year with a 41-13 record.
- The Hartington-Cedar Catholic boys tallied 44 team points in the Class C team standings of the Nebraska State Track and Field Championships, which was good enough for a third-place finish. The events concluded on Saturday in Omaha. Other teams of note, the Hartington-Cedar Catholic and Crofton girls tied for fifth in the girls standings.
- Gazelles Golf will attempt to swing their way to a conference title tomorrow as they take the greens at Pierre Hillsview Golf Course for the ESD Conference Meet beginning at 10am.
