VFW 13-14 Teeners are Region champs

Vermillion's VFW 13-14 Teeners will open their state tournament at Humboldt at noon today (Friday) against Spearfish after clinching the Region 1A championship with a win over Irene last Thursday.

Members of the VFW 13-14 Teeners are (back) Coach Matt Hook, Brandon Mockler, Nate Robertson, Cole Anderson, Billy Mount, Riley Peters, Brett Hanson, Coach Jeff Kraztz, Coach Steve Miller, and (front) Wyatt Markee, Kyle Johnson, Carter Kratz, Cameron Olson, Joe Miller and Hunter Christopherson.

The other game in the upper bracket pits Madison 14 against Sioux Falls Christian at 2:30 p.m.  The evening quarterfinal bracket has two-time defending champion Tyndall against Big Stone City/Ortonville at 5:30 p.m., following by Humboldt 14 vs. Irene/Wakonda.  The evening session will be preceded at 5 p.m. by an opening ceremony featuring all eight teams in uniform.

The state tournament will be played out to six places.  If Vermillion wins its opener, its next game would be at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.  If Vermillion loses to Spearfish, the next game would be at noon Saturday.  Sunday's schedule has a fifth-place game at noon, a third-place game at 3 p.m. and the championship game at 6.  There will be no seventh-place game.

Vermillion and Irene clashed in last Thursday's Region 1A championship game at Elk Point with both teams assured of berths in the state tournament.  After Irene took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, Vermillion took charge and removed all drama from the situation.

A five-run first inning gave Vermillion more of a lead than starting pitcher Billy Mount needed.  He cruised through the six-inning contest, allowing only four hits and striking out seven.

In that bottom of the first, Vermillion, which had beaten Irene earlier in the week 8-3, was given a leadoff walk, and then after two were out, a hit batter, two more walks and singles by Brandon Mockler and Joe Miller made it 5-1.  It was 6-1 into the third when Vermillion scored four more times on two walks, two hit batters and a Carter Kratz basehit.

In the sixth, already leading 11-2, Vermillion got its chance to end the game prematurely when Miller led off with his second hit of the game.  Two outs later, pinchhitter Wyatt Markee drilled a basehit into right field, scoring Miller all the way from first as the team reached the 12-2 advantage that ended the tournament.

Mockler also had two hits in the game for Vermillion, which went through the regional unbeaten at 4-0.