Hartford/Humboldt Gamecocks clip Parkston Rays in Class B state amateur baseball championship rematch

MITCHELL – The Hartford/Humboldt Gamecocks exacted a measure of revenge on Saturday.

The Gamecocks clipped the Parkston Rays, 2-1, in the opening round of the Class B state amateur baseball tournament at Cadwell Park. It was a rematch of last season’s state championship, a 10-8 come-from-behind Parkston victory. 

On Saturday, behind Blake Svoboda’s complete-game performance, the Gamecocks (14-9) edged the Rays (14-10) in the opening round. 

“We know that’s a great team,” Svoboda said. “So we have to bring our best performance right out of the gate. They’re going to come out and prove to us that they are the champions, and we had to respond.”

Svoboda out-dueled Parkston’s Carter Sommer in a pitchers’ duel. Svoboda struck out 14 batters, scattered five hits, allowed one earned run and walked one batter on 119 pitches. 

Sommer was just as effective in a losing effort. Sommer totaled nine strikeouts, allowed five hits, one earned run and walked seven batters in eight innings. 

“I knew I was going to go out there and compete,” Svoboda said. “I knew their ace was going to go out there and compete. Hats off to that guy. We have a tough lineup. He dominated, too.”

The Rays also defeated Gamecocks earlier this season, a 10-6 decision. The state championship rematch lived up to the billing, with both pitchers dominating the mound and solid defensive plays on both sides. 

“First-round game is always a tough one,” Hartford/Humboldt manager Chad Morrison said. “Two aces out there. They’re scrappy, they don’t give up at all, and you have to play all nine innings. But it definitely feels good to come up on the right side.”

In the top of the second, Caden Alfson reached first base on a fielding error by Parkston shortstop Dylan Soulek, scoring Sawyer Konechne.

Then, the pitchers settled in, and runs were at a premium. 

“From start to finish - great pitching, great defense; the bats are competitive,” Morrison said. “But the pitchers seemed a little bit better today. It was just trying to find a way to get a couple runs across.”

In the sixth inning, Devon Garry’s RBI triple scored Kyle Konechne for a 2-0 lead. 

The Rays finally cracked the scoreboard in the bottom of the seventh. Nolan Dvorak hit a lead-off single, and Landon Sudbeck’s RBI double to left field scored Dvorak, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Svoboda responded by striking out Kenyon Kuiper, Doug Sudbeck and Jake Helleloid, preserving the one-run lead.

In the eighth inning, the Gamecocks loaded the bases with one. But a highlight-reel double play kept a run off the board. 

Hartford/Humboldt’s Joe Hanisch cracked a fly ball to right field. But right fielder Kuiper snagged the ball and gunned down Quigley at home plate for the double play. 

In the ninth inning, Svoboda retired the side and sent the Gamecocks into the second round. 

“It was a great performance,” Morrison said. “From the very get go I could tell he had it, and that’s kind of what we’ve become accustomed to see from Blake and he was composed.”

Svoboda pitched in relief in last year’s state championship game, allowing four runs on two walks and two hit batsmen. Svoboda, however, was fatigued after pitching in the quarterfinals two days prior. 

On Saturday, he took advantage of rest leading into the rematch. 

“It feels great being able to bounce back off that from last year,” Svoboda said. “Coming here with a fresh arm, I knew I was going to go all nine no matter what. You just have to limit the pitch count a little bit to keep the arm healthy.”

Seth Muth had two of Parkston’s five hits. Dvorak, Sudbeck and Kuiper added hits. 

Quigley finished 3-for-4 for the Gamecocks. Garry and Hanisch both added hits. 

The Gamecocks will play Winner/Colome or the Dell Rapids Mudcats at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the second round.