Alexandria Angels pound out 16 hits, advance to Class B state amateur baseball championship game
Alexandria Angels shortstop Dakota Munger high fives catcher Charlie Dubanoski as they head back to the dugout against Dell Rapids PBR during the semifinals of the South Dakota State Amateur Baseball Tournament Saturday, August 15, 2026 in Mitchell. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)
MITCHELL – The Halos are headed back to Championship Sunday.
The Alexandria Angels, who have played in seven total Class B state amateur baseball championship games, will play for the 2026 title after knocking off Dell Rapids PBR on Saturday at Cadwell Park. Alexandria will play Hartford/Humboldt Wood Ducks or Clark at 2 p.m. for the state championship.
“It's what we play for all summer,” second baseman Jordan Gau said after Alexandria’s 14-5 semifinal victory. “We're looking forward to it and it's all hands-on deck to go win one more game.”
Alexandria (19-3) returned to the state championship game with a familiar formula. The Angels received 16 hits from seven different players, erupted for 12 runs through four innings and capitalized on five PBR errors.
“Our mentality was just to put the ball in play,” Alexandria manager/designated hitter Peyton Smith said. “We struck out 19 times the other night against a really good pitcher. We knew we were going to see good pitching against PBR, and we just put the ball in play.”
Dell Rapids PBR (18-6) is also a storied amateur baseball, including winning the 2024 Class B state championship. The Angels, who have won five state championships, turned the semifinal showdown into a Halo hit parade in the middle innings.
"It feels like one through nine everybody can do damage and so it’s really fun to see us put together but good at-bats and find a way to kind of separate there,” Alexandria catcher Charlie Dubanoski said. “You talk about your shutdown innings, and your separation innings, and that was big for us to kind of settle in, cruise and then go from there.”
Dell Rapids PBR took a 3-2 lead after the third inning. Alexandria, however, piled up 12 runs through four innings and pulled away for a 14-3 advantage.
After Jerrod Zens's RBI single broke a 3-3 tie in the fourth inning, Dubanoski’s solo home run over the 340-foot left field fence gave Alexandria a 5-3 lead in the fifth.
“I was just happy to get a first-pitch fastball, and I was able to put a good swing on it,” said Dubanoski, who finished 2-for-5 with three RBIs. “Good pitcher out there and was just happy to be able to square up a ball.”
In the sixth inning, Alexandria opened a 10-3 lead after scoring five runs on five hits and two PBR errors. In the seventh inning, the Angels plated four more runs on three hits and one PBR error. PBR scored two more runs in the seventh inning, preventing the 10-run mercy rule.
Alexandria’s AJ Wilber earned the win, striking out five batters, scattering eight hits, allowing two earned runs and one walk in the complete-game performance.
Dakota Munger finished 4-for-6 and drove in a run for the Angels. Gau finished 3-for-5 and scored two runs. Zens and Dubanoski added two hits and three RBIs apiece. Ben Wilber and Peyton Smith added two hits, while Smith drove in a run. Pierce Smith, Tyson Gau and Platte pick-up player Preston Nedved added RBIs.
PBR starter Drew Sweeter took the loss, allowing nine hits, four earned runs, two walks and struck out zero batters in five innings. Relievers Pankonen, Trey Randel and Riley Hoffman combined to pitch four relief innings, allowing seven hits and five earned runs.
The PBR pitching staff did not record a single strikeout against the Angels.
“This point in the tournament arms get tired,” Jordan Gau said. “You have to score runs. We're going to see good pitchers from here on out. But the bats have to be there. So, to get down 2-0 early wasn't ideal. But we’ve been hitting the ball well in the last couple of games. So, we just got to keep stringing hits together.”
Alexandria will have another chance to string hits together on Championship Sunday at Cadwell Park, where it is no stranger to playing on the final day of South Dakota amateur baseball.
“There is nothing better,” Peyton Smith said about playing on Championship Sunday. “Just glad to be here. Tremendous group of guys that we got, and hopefully we can get one more.”