Bandits look to get back on track after falling in Dakota Classic

SIOUX FALLS – After a strong start to the season, the Brookings Bandits senior legion team hit a speed bump this weekend, losing three of four games at the Dakota Classic in Sioux Falls.

Brookings won its first three games of the season and has now lost four of the last five. The Bandits kicked off the Dakota Classic on Friday with a 15-5 loss to UBT (Lincoln, Neb.) and then bounced back with an 11-5 win over Post 379 (Oak Grove, Mo.) later in the day. On Saturday, Brookings lost 11-10 to Cornhusker Express (Omaha, Neb.) and then the Bandits capped off the tournament with a 9-1 loss to the Excelsior Fire (Minnetonka, Minn.).

Bandits head coach Carter Roach said the tournament was a good learning experience for his team because of the competition they played.

“It’s awesome, because it’s a really unique situation at the end of the day,” Roach said. “… It’s fun because you go in there and they don’t know anything about you and you don’t know anything about them, and you just get to play the game of baseball. In baseball’s truest form, the team that throws the most strikes, makes the most plays and gets the most hits wins the games.

“I’m a firm believer in how I schedule for our team and we want to play the best [teams] because it makes the victories that much sweeter. It also makes the lessons from the losses that much more magnified and we get to see what we need to work on when we’re playing that good competition.”

The Bandits had an up-and-down weekend on the mound. In the game they won against Post 379 Jase Bauer, Jude Meendering and Baker Hanson combined to give up five hits and five unearned runs with 10 strikeouts and seven walks. In the final game of the weekend, which was a 9-1 loss, Nolan Wagner and Jay Harris combined to give up nine earned runs and six hits with eight walks and two strikeouts. The other two games the Bandit pitching staff gave up double-digit hits and runs.

Brookings gave up just six runs in its first three games, including a 9-0 shutout over Sioux Falls West on June 10. Roach said some of his pitching staff is trying to get back into the swing of things after having some time off between the spring and summer seasons.

“[The pitching] has been kind of going on a week-by-week basis, honestly,” Roach said. “Right now, I mean, we started the year 3-1 and we swept a good Pierre team and we kind of pitched by committee there because we knew everyone was trying to get some work in. Then we played a good Sioux Falls West team and Nolan Krogman pitched unbelievably. 

“... This weekend, we were getting some new guys on the mound. Jase Bauer took the mound for the first time. Max Jensen took the mound this weekend against [Cornhusker Express], and did a fantastic job. So, I think the big thing for the guys is just getting back out there and gaining some confidence and getting back to doing what we want to do on the mound.”

Roach added that his goal is that his pitchers are pounding the strike zone come mid-July when the postseason starts.

“Obviously, the summer season is a lot better because it’s a lot nicer and easier, and you don’t have school and stuff like that. I think our pitching staff is a week-by-week thing, but yeah, what we’re working for is that by the end of July our guys are consistent and consistently in the strike zone and are competing for us,” Roach said.

Roach was pleased with his offense over the weekend. The Bandits scored five or more runs in three of the four games, including two games with double digits. Roach credited that output to how his team attacked after they got on base.

“Our base running has been fantastic. I mean, we have some guys that get on base and they just cause havoc, is the best way to say it. We can steal second with the best of them and we’re really gaining a lot of confidence with stealing third. Our team speed is fantastic and we’re going to use that,” Roach said.

The Bandits strongest hitting performance of the weekend actually came in their 11-10 walkoff loss to Cornhusker Express as they had 15 hits as a team. Baker Hanson and Ben Schulte were each 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Cooper Schneider was 3-for-4 with an RBI and Krogman was 1-for-4 with an RBI. Wagner and Meendering were also each 1-for-4 with an RBI. Talon Hyde was 2-for-3 and Jay Harris was 1-for-3.

Jase Bauer was the only Bandit without a hit in that game but Roach said Bauer has had a strong start to the summer season. He also highlighted the other three batters that are in the top four of the lineup and noted that the rest of the lineup has to have more consistency.

“Jase Bauer is one of our senior leaders and he’s had a fantastic start to the year, hitting in the four hole,” Roach said. “Nolan Krogman has had a great start at the plate this season. Cooper Schneider and Baker Hanson too. All four of those guys have done a really nice job.

“Now, it’s time to see our guys that are fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth in the lineup, to keep things going. But getting back into the season is always tough, so we want to give more at bats to our guys, one through nine.”

Brookings will return to league play this week. As of Tuesday, the Bandits are 3-1 in league play and will play three doubleheaders this week. On Tuesday, Brookings plays at Renner. Then the Bandits will host Yankton on Thursday and play at Sioux Falls East on June 23.

Roach said this is an important week in the schedule because all three teams are tough. He said this week will tell a lot about where the Bandits fit in the senior legion standings.

“This is a huge week of baseball. I’ve told the guys that it doesn’t really matter who we play, we just have to come out and play Bandit baseball. That’s setting the tone and playing the game hard, competing on the mound and in the field. That’s a big thing and I think we’ll know where we’re really at by this time next week,” Roach said.