Bandits split four games in Fargo

FARGO – The Brookings Bandits senior legion baseball team went 2-2 at the Fargo/Moorhead Invitational over the weekend.

The Bandits beat Thief River Falls (Minn.) 10-2 in their opening game of the tournament on Friday. Brookings then lost both games on Saturday, falling 9-4 to St. Michaels (Minn.) and 10-2 to Fargo. In their final game of the tournament, the Bandits defeated Bloomington (Minn.) 22-14.

Brookings is now 8-10 on the season. The Bandits will have a doubleheader against Huron at Bob Shelden Field on Wednesday, starting at 5 p.m. They will then host Volga on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. as part of a junior legion/senior legion triple header between the two towns at Bob Shelden Field.

Friday

Brookings 10, Thief River Falls 2

Brookings led 5-2 after three innings and then tacked on five more runs in the fifth to seal the victory on Friday.

The Bandits scored five runs in the bottom of the second. The first two runs came from a Noah Lease single. Maxten Jensen then scored on a fielder’s choice and Nolan Krogman hit a two-run single to push the lead to 5-0.

TRF scored runs on a single and a bases-loaded walk in the top of the third to make it 5-2. Krogman and Ben Schulte each scored on an error to make it 7-2. Jay Harris came home on a sacrifice fly from Jensen and then Noah Lease hit an RBI single to make it 9-2. The final run of the game came when Krogman was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

Brookings had four hits in the win. Krogman was 1-for-1 with three RBIs and Lease was 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Jensen was 1-for-2 with an RBI and Baker Hanson had an RBI without a hit.

Jude Meendering pitched a complete game for the Bandits. He gave up two unearned runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and one walk.

Saturday

St. Michael 9, Brookings 4

It was 3-3 going into the bottom of the fifth inning and then the Bandits gave up six runs in the fifth and that was their demise.

Lease scored on a ground out from Schulte in the top of the first to make it 1-0. St. Michael then scored three runs on two singles in the bottom of the inning to make it 3-1.

The Bandits tied the game in the top of the fifth. Wagner hit Harris home with a single and then he scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-3. St. Michael’s six runs in the bottom of the fifth all came from singles. In total there were four RBI singles and one two-run single.

The Bandits attempted a rally in the top of the sixth as Tre Christopherson scored on a sacrifice fly, but that was the only run they scored.

Brookings had three hits in the loss. Wagner was 1-for-2 with an RBI and Jase Bauer was 1-for-2. Cooper Schneider was 1-for-3 and Hanson and Schulte each had an RBI without a hit.

Talon Hyde got the start on the mound for the Bandits. He was unable to record an out and gave up three earned runs on two hits with two walks. Bauer pitched four innings and gave up four earned runs on three hits with two strikeouts and three walks. Hanson pitched two innings and gave up five hits with two strikeouts and no walks.

Fargo Post 400 10, Brookings 2

Brookings had four errors and six walks that led to the loss as the two teams were almost even in hits.

Fargo scored two runs on a double in the first inning. Hanson then stole home in the top of the fourth to cut the lead to 2-1.

Fargo would then extend the lead to 5-1 in the bottom of the fourth. The first run came on an error. Then a bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly made it 5-1. The Stars added two more runs in the fifth and both came when batters were hit by pitches with the bases loaded. 

Brookings’ second run of the game came on a single from Hanson. Fargo scored a run on an error in the sixth and then added two more runs on a double to make the final 10-2.

The Bandits had six hits. Hanson was 3-for-3 with an RBI and Ryder Anderson was 2-for-2. Bauer was 1-for-3.

Lease pitched the first three and a third innings and gave up five runs, two earned, on five hits with two strikeouts and three walks. Schneider pitched an inning and two thirds and gave up two runs, one earned, on no hits with two strikeouts and two walks. Tane Friedrich got the final two outs and gave up three unearned runs on two hits with one walk and no strikeouts.

Sunday

Brookings 22, Bloomington 14

The Bandits trailed 5-3 going into the fourth and then scored 19 runs in the final three innings to earn the win.

Hanson scored on a Friedrich ground out in the first to make it 1-0. Bloomington then scored two runs in the bottom of the inning.

The Bandits took the lead in the top of the second as Anderson scored on an error and then Meendering scored on a throw after a Hanson single. Bloomington knocked in three runs in the bottom of the third to go up 5-3.

Brookings scored six runs in the top of the fourth. Lease hit an RBI single and then he later scored on a fielder’s choice from Harris to tie the game. Schulte and Wagner each hit RBI singles and then Anderson hit a two-run single to push the lead to 9-5.

Bloomington cut the lead to 9-8 in the bottom of the fourth. However, the Bandits answered with six more runs in the top of the fifth. Harris hit an RBI single and then Wagner and Anderson were each walked with the bases loaded. Schulte scored on a sacrifice fly from Meendering and then Schneider hit a two-run double to make it 15-8.

Bloomington got two runs back in the bottom of the fifth, but again, the Bandits offense responded, this time with seven runs. Anderson was walked with the bases loaded and then Meendering was hit by a pitch to make it 17-11. Three runs then came home on an error and another run scored on a different error to make it 21-11. The final run of the inning came from a Harris single.

Bloomington would score three runs in the bottom of the sixth to make the final 22-14.

Brookings racked up 14 hits in the victory. Harris was 3-for-5 with three RBIs and Anderson was 1-for-2 with four RBIs. Schneider was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Wagner was 1-for-3 with two RBIs. Friedrich was 2-for-4 with an RBI and Hanson was 1-for-2 with an RBI. Lease was 1–for-3 with an RBI and Schulte was 1-for-5 with an RBI. Meendering had two RBIs without a hit and Bauer was 2-for-5.

Jensen pitched the first two and two thirds innings and gave up five runs, four earned, on seven hits with three strikeouts and one walk. Hanson pitched two and a third innings and gave up seven earned runs on five hits with two strikeouts and three walks. Hyde pitched the final inning and gave up two unearned runs on no hits with one walk and no strikeouts.