Bandits hitting stride as postseason approaches

BROOKINGS – The Brookings Bandits swept a pair of doubleheaders last week, beating Aberdeen on June 30 and Huron on July 1.

The Bandits outscored their two opponents by a combined 53-11 in the four games. They won game one against Aberdeen 13-0 and followed that with a 18-7 win in game two. Brookings would then beat Huron 10-2 in game one on Wednesday and took game two 12-2.

These doubleheader sweeps came on the heels of splitting four games in a tournament in Fargo and Bandits head coach Carter Roach said he feels like his team is turning a corner as they are now 12-10 on the season.

“In the tournament up in North Dakota we played some stiff competition in some Minnesota and North Dakota teams,” Roach said. “[In that tournament] on Saturday we didn’t really play our best, but we came out on Sunday and grinded out an offensive battle against a team from Bloomington, Minn. That’s when I said that was [the best we’ve played].

“Then we came out and beat up on a really good Aberdeen team in Aberdeen, which is not the easiest place to play, so that was good to see. Then we returned home and we had two really good pitching performances and got it done. So, yeah, I think with having the Fourth of July off and having practice [on Monday] we really seem like we’re in a really good place.”

The Bandits will host a doubleheader against Mitchell on Tuesday and then head to Minneapolis this weekend for the Gopher Classic and then will finish out the regular season next week. They’ll play a doubleheader at Watertown on July 14 and then play a doubleheader at Brandon Valley on July 16 in the regular season finale.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Brookings sits in sixth place in Class A Legion Baseball standings. The Bandits would host Mitchell in a three-game series with a trip to the State Tournament on the line if that holds. The three-game series is scheduled for July 24 and 25.

Roach said he likes the position that his team is in with just over a week left in the regular season.

“I like where we’re sitting right now. In the polls we’re in sixth place with six league games to go. We have doubleheaders with Mitchell, Watertown and Brandon Valley. So, I really like where we’re sitting in the polls and just how we’re playing. We just really need to focus on the expectations that we’ve set as a team for how we play and just need to keep meeting those expectations and take care of business on game days. I think the wins will follow if we do that,” Roach said.

June 30

Game One

Brookings 13, Aberdeen 0

Nolan Krogman pitched all five innings and gave up just two hits with seven strikeouts and two walks.

Brookings scored four runs in the top of the first. The first two runs came on an error and then Talon Hyde hit an RBI double. Hyde would then score on a fielder’s choice to make it 4-0.

The Bandits followed the first with a six-run second inning. Hyde hit an RBI single and Cooper Schneider then drove in two more runs with a single of his own. Hyde and Schneider scored on two different errors and then Jay Harris came home on a ground out to make it 10-0.

Brookings tacked on three more in the top of the third. Baker Hanson hit an RBI single and then stole home later in the inning. The final run of the game came on a double from Harris and the Bandits kept Aberdeen off the scoreboard in the final two and a half innings to win via the 10-run rule.

The Bandits had 13 hits as a team. Schneider was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and Harris was 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Hyde was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Hanson was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Krogman was 2-for-2 and Jude Meendering was 1-for-3.

Game Two

Brookings 18, Aberdeen 7

The Bandits fell behind 4-0 in the first two innings but then outscored the Smittys 18-3 in the final three innings to win via the 10-run rule again.

Aberdeen scored four runs in the bottom of the first. The Smittys scored runs on a ground out and a dropped third strike and then runs from a passed ball and a single made it 4-0.

Brookings took the lead in the top of the third. Hyde hit an RBI single and then Schneider hit a two-run single to make it 4-3. Noah Lease hit a two-run single as well and the Bandits were up 5-4 going into the bottom of the third.

The Bandits scored three more runs in the top of the fourth. Hanson scored on a sacrifice fly from Schneider and then Ben Schulte scored on an error. Hyde then stole home to make it 8-4. Aberdeen hit a home run in the bottom of the inning to make it 8-5 going into the fifth.

Brookings broke the game open with eight runs in the top of the fifth. Krogman hit a two-run triple and then scored on a balk to make it 11-5. Jase Bauer then hit an RBI single and Schulte scored on a ground out to push the lead to 13-5. Meendering and Krogman each walked with the bases loaded and then Hanson cleared the bases with a double to make it 18-5 going into the bottom of the fifth.

The Smittys were able to score two runs in the bottom of the fifth but were unable to cut the lead under 10 and Brookings came away with another double-digit victory.

The Bandits had nine hits in the win. Schneider and Krogman were each 1-for-3 with three RBIs. Hanson was 2-for-4 with three RBIs and Hyde was 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Lease was 1-for-2 with two RBIs and Bauer was 1-for-3 with an RBI.

July 1

Game One

Brookings 10, Huron 2

The Bandits scored eight runs in the first three innings and cruised to the win in game one.

An RBI single gave Huron a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Brookings answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Hanson hit an RBI single and Harris walked with the bases loaded. Schneider then hit Bauer home with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-1.

Brookings scored four runs in the bottom of the second. Krogman and Nolan Wagner each scored on a passed ball and then Hyde hit a two-run double to make it 7-1.

Tre Christopherson scored on a passed ball in the bottom of the third to push the lead to 8-1. Krogman then walked with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth and Christopherson scored on a Hanson ground out to make it 10-1.

Huron would score a run on a ground out in the top of the sixth but that was their only run the rest of the way.

The Bandits had six hits. Hyde was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Hanson was 1-for-3 with two RBIs. Krogman was 1-for-2 with an RBI and Harris was 1-for-3 with an RBI.

Meendering pitched a complete game for Brookings. He gave up two earned runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and one walk.

Game Two

Brookings 12, Huron 2

The Bandits made quick work of the Tigers in game two, winning in five innings.

Brookings led 6-1 at the end of the first. Huron scored a run on an error in the top of the inning. Bauer then hit an RBI single and Hanson scored on an error to give the Bandits the lead.
Hyde hit an RBI double and then Meendering hit a bases-clearing double to push the lead to five going into the second.

Hyde scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the second but Huron got that run back with an RBI single in the top of the third to make it 7-2. The Bandits then struck for five runs in the top of the fifth to end the game.

Hanson hit a two-run single to make it 9-2 and then Hanson scored on a Schneider fielder’s choice to push the lead to 10-2. Wagner then ended the game with a two-run single.

The Bandits had eight hits in the victory. Meendering was 1-for-2 with three RBIs and Hanson was 1-for-3 with two RBIs. Hyde was 1-for-1 with an RBI and Bauer and Schneider were each 1-for-3 with an RBI. 

Maxten Jensen pitched all five innings for Brookings. He gave up two earned runs on four hits with two strikeouts and one walk.