Baseball Diamond Report for April 30: Bon Homme continues fast start to season

Apr. 30—TYNDALL, S.D. — The Bon Homme High School baseball team has wasted little time establishing itself as one of the top contenders in Class B to open the 2026 season.

Sitting at 7-1 through their first eight games, the Cavaliers have combined an explosive offense with reliable pitching, fueling a six-game winning streak after an early-season stumble. That lone defeat came in just their second contest of the year — a narrow 7-6 loss to Parkston, who has a 5-3 record — but Bon Homme has responded ever since.

Most recently, the Cavaliers showcased their firepower in a 12-4 win over Elkton-Lake Benton at the Dakota Wesleyan University Harter/Bakley Class B High School Baseball Showcase on Sunday, April 26. The victory marked their sixth straight and continued a trend of consistent run production that has defined their strong start.

Before then, Bon Homme picked up two more recent wins, knocking off previously unbeaten Freeman/Canistota/Marion 9-4 on April 22 before blanking Wagner/Avon/Lake Andes 9-0 on April 25.

In the win over Freeman/Canistota/Marion, Madden Merkwan led the way at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Alex Adler delivered a big performance with four RBIs, while Carter Smith added two more RBIs to help power the Cavaliers' offense.

The victory over Wagner/Avon/Lake Andes highlighted Bon Homme's ability to score runs in different ways. Despite collecting just three hits, the Cavaliers showed patience at the plate by drawing 12 walks. Merkwan was dominant on the mound, tossing a one-hitter over five innings of work with four strikeouts. He allowed no runs, working around six walks to secure the shutout.

Bon Homme has been one of the most productive teams in Class B so far this season, averaging 8.7 runs per game while allowing 2.6 runs per contest with three shutout victories. The Cavaliers have also reached double digits in scoring three times already this season, showing their depth throughout the lineup.

Ethan Wagner has been the team's top hitter, leading the squad with a .550 batting average and an impressive .667 on-base percentage. Cooper Mudder has also been a key contributor, hitting .435 while scoring a team-high 13 runs. Isaiah Crownover leads the team with 13 RBIs, while Adler has added nine RBIs and the team's lone home run, along with a .400 batting average.

Additional offensive support has come from Calvin Caba (.360), Smith (.333) and Major Aarstad (.304), giving Bon Homme multiple reliable options at the plate. Caba ranks second on the team with 10 RBIs and has added extra-base production with two doubles, also second on the Cavaliers.

On the mound, Merkwan has emerged as the picthing staff's ace, compiling a 3-0 record across four starts. He has logged 19 2/3 innings of work with 25 strikeouts and a 1.42 earned-run average, allowing just 14 hits on the season. Crownover has complemented him well as a solid No. 2 option, posting a 2.44 ERA with 14 strikeouts over 14 1/3 innings pitched.