POST 152 SENIOR LEGION SEASON ENDS WITH LOSS TO GROTON
Well, that’s a wrap on what was a solid second season for the Post 152 Senior Legion boys.
Competing in the first American Legion State Tournament for any of the four teams involved in the 79ers’ cooperative since Freeman won the title in 2003, Post 152 defeated host team Milbank Friday, Aug. 1, before dropping games to Parkston and Groton the next two days to end the year.
The team — officially recognized by the American Legion as Scotland/Menno/Freeman/Canistota (SMFC) — finished its 2025 season with a 16-13 record.
“We won just three games last year, so to come to the state tournament and get a win — yeah, very successful season,” said coach Dustin Tschetter. “Maybe not the way we wanted it to end, but we showed a lot of heart.”
Tschetter was referring specifically to what ended up being Post 152’s third and final game of the tournament Sunday afternoon at Milbank — an elimination game against a solid Groton Post 39 squad that came into the tournament 25-7.
And it didn’t take long for Groton to jump all over the 79ers, tallying eight runs on eight hits in just the first two innings of play, including two doubles and a triple.
“They just didn’t miss any barrels,” Tschetter said. “They hit everything hard.”
It didn’t take SMFC long, however, to seize the momentum, turning an 8-0 deficit into an 11-9 advantage thanks to a six-run second inning and five-run third.
“We could have put our heads down and quit,” said the coach, “but we gave ourselves a chance to win this game.”
But Groton — which finished with 15 hits — got one back in the fourth to make it 11-10, two more in the fifth to make it 12-11, and then put the game away with a grand slam by first baseman Carter Simon in the sixth inning to bring the slugfest its final score of 16-11.
Simon finished with a 4-for-5 showing and four runs scored.
While Groton’s offense was plenty efficient, walks and errors hurt the 79ers, with nine of Groton’s 16 runs unearned. Three pitchers for the 79ers gave up nine walks, and three players committed an error.
Kory Keppen had two singles and four RBI to lead the SMFC offense, Rocky Ammann and Tayden Kerrigan both doubled, and Riley Tschetter knocked in a pair of runs.
Tannen Auch pitched an inning, Bryce Sattler pitched 2 2/3, Tschetter threw 2 innings, and Easton Miller pitched the final 1 1/3. Tschetter took the loss for the 79ers.
Four of the eight tournament teams remained in contention for the state title after play on Sunday: Groton was scheduled to face Parkston Post 194 Monday afternoon followed by Dakota Valley Post 319 taking on Dell Rapids Post 65 — the only undefeated team remaining in the tournament.
The championship was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 5.
In addition to SMFC, other teams that were eliminated by the end of the day Sunday were Winner/Colome Post 169, Clark-Willow Lake Post 60, and Milbank.
A fun win over Milbank
While the 100th South Dakota American Legion State Tournament might not have ended on Sunday the way the 79ers had hoped, it sure started with a bang on Friday. That’s because Post 152 took care of business against a 10-8 Milbank team that earned the automatic state qualifying bid because it was the host team. Milbank is the birthplace of American Legion baseball because it was there, at the state convention on July 17, 1925, that the South Dakota American Legion passed a resolution to create an organized summer baseball league for youth.
Today, American Legion Baseball has a presence in all 50 states.
Anyway, it was SMFC battling Milbank in the opening round, and it was SMFC coming away with an 8-2 win after simply outplaying the host team.
It was 3-0 early, and then 3-2, before SMFC scored five unanswered runs for a relatively easy win.
“We put the ball in play, up and down the lineup we got contributions, and the pitchers threw strikes,” said Tschetter. “We got the nerves out of the way — that’s the big part.”
Post 152 found momentum early when a Keppen single scored Sattler, a Miller single scored Keppen, and a Tayden Kerrigan double scored Miller to make it 3-0 after the first.
Post 9 got two back in the top of the second on an error, a single and a two-RBI double, but Milbank wouldn’t put another runner in scoring position the rest of the game.
The pitchers, meanwhile, were on point.
Sattler struck out two without a walk in three innings pitched, Tschetter threw two innings of perfect ball, and Erick Buechler allowed just one hit in two innings of work.
“We’re having a lot of fun right now,” coach Tschetter said. “The dugout’s been a blast lately; they’re loud and into the game. They’re finally bonding and having some fun. You can see what kind of talent we actually have.”
Kerrigan had a strong night from the plate, going 3-for-3 with that first inning RBI double. Miller had two RBI, Keppen and Sattler both collected a pair of singles and Ammann had an RBI double.
Tschetter and Evan Scharberg also both knocked in a run.
A tough loss to Parkston
The win over Milbank paired the 79ers with a familiar foe — Parkston (15-11), which defeated Dakota Valley (17-7) earlier on Friday.
“We know Parkston, they know us,” he said. “We’ve met them how many times in how many different sports in the last three years. It’s a rivalry, obviously. We’ve had their number the first games this year, but that means absolutely nothing tomorrow.
“We’ve just got to keep playing the way we’ve been playing since regions started,” the coach continued. “We’re finally believing in each other, we’re trusting the guy in the lineup who comes next, and we’re passing the buck on.
“We’ve just got to keep having fun.”
But Parkston had other ideas, putting the ball in the hands of starting pitcher Kash Neugebauer, who used strong command and an untouchable curveball to take care of business. Neugebauer didn’t allow a hit in six innings pitched, striking out 10 against four walks along the way.
SMFC’s two runs came on an error and a fielder’s choice following three consecutive walks by Neugebauer — his only blemish on the night.
That meant that Parkston’s five runs on four hits — coupled with the 79ers’ three errors — was enough.
Easton Tschetter’s single in the seventh was Post 152’s only hit, and Trent Guthmiller took the loss, giving up three hits and four runs — one of them earned — in 3 2/3 innings pitched. He struck out three and walked five.
Scharberg pitched the final 2 1/3 innings.
This was the final year of eligibility for five players on the Post 152 Senior Legion (19-under) team: Ammann, Parker Hoshstein, Sattler, Scharberg and Sawyer Wipf.
