Jul. 23—MENNO, S.D. — Parkston Post 194 punched its ticket to the Class B American Legion state tournament for the third consecutive season after defeating Platte/Geddes Post 115 by a score of 6-2 in the Region 4B championship game on Thursday.
With the victory, Parkston went a perfect 3-0 in the regional tournament and advanced to the state tournament scheduled for July 31 through Aug. 4 in Madison.
Parkston wasted little time taking the lead, scoring in the top of the first inning when Grady Bowar delivered an RBI single that plated Mason Jervik for a 1-0 advantage. Platte/Geddes answered in the bottom of the second, pushing across a run to even the game at 1-1.
Post 194 regained the lead with a run in the third inning before breaking the game open in the fifth. Parkston scored three times in the frame to build a comfortable 5-1 cushion and put the WhiteCaps on their heels. P/G scratched across its final run in the bottom of the sixth to trim the deficit, but Parkston responded in the seventh with a sacrifice fly to right field for an insurance run and a 6-2 lead.
Kash Neugebauer turned in a strong outing on the mound, pitching six innings while allowing just three hits and two runs. Johnny Weber took over in relief and retired the side in the seventh to secure the regional championship and send Parkston back to the state tournament.
Parkston finished with eight hits, while Platte/Geddes managed three. The WhiteCaps committed two errors compared to one by Parkston. Hudson Fuhrer started on the mound for Platte/Geddes. No further individual statistics were immediately available.