Palace City Youth Baseball Teams Face Off in Exciting Doubleheaders

MITCHELL — The Palace City 14-and-under baseball team had a mixed day at Drake Field on Sunday, splitting their doubleheader against Winner/Colome. The first match saw Palace City secure a 7-4 victory, but the second game ended in an 11-1 defeat.

In the opening game, Keniel Padilla shone both at the plate and on the mound, recording three hits, including two triples, scoring three runs, and driving in one RBI. He also pitched the entire seven innings, surrendering six hits and four runs (three earned), while striking out four batters. Preston Maeschen contributed with two RBIs, helping the team capitalize on a productive five-run second inning, despite the team managing only four hits overall.

The second game saw Winner/Colome dominate, amassing 12 hits and winning decisively 11-1 in six innings. Logan Calhoon excelled with three hits and three runs scored, while Carson Herman drove in four runs for the winning side. Palace City’s Maeschen took the loss, allowing eight hits and five runs in four innings, but he managed to strike out five batters. Despite drawing seven walks, Palace City struggled to convert those opportunities into runs.

Palace City now holds a record of 2-9-1 and will host Brookings for a doubleheader at Drake Field on Tuesday, June 9, starting at 5 p.m.

Meanwhile, the Palace City 13U team faced challenges of their own, losing both games in a home doubleheader on Saturday. Sioux Falls Post 15 overwhelmed them with a 13-7 victory in the first game, where Radley Maeschen and Ayden Vaneverdingen each had two hits. In the second game, Winner/Colome triumphed 14-2, largely due to a 12-run third inning. Palace City managed only two hits in that match, with Tayzen Fernau taking the loss on the mound.

Looking ahead, Palace City 13U holds a 4-11 record and is set to play Huron in a noon doubleheader on Tuesday, followed by a matchup against Harrisburg Black at 5 p.m. on June 10.

In other news, the Palace City Post 18 Junior Legion team participated in the Alex Kummer Memorial Junior Legion tournament, finishing the weekend with a 2-1 record. They started with a win against Yankton and then edged past Aberdeen in a nail-biting 5-4 finish, thanks to Treston Zens' walk-off RBI. However, they fell to Dakota Valley in their final game, preventing them from advancing to the championship bracket.

The Post 18 Juniors now sit at 5-6 and will host two doubleheaders this week, beginning Tuesday against Yankton at 5 p.m. and continuing Wednesday against Sioux Falls West.