Brookings softball feels confident despite loss to top-ranked Jefferson

BROOKINGS – The Brookings softball team lost to No. 1 Sioux Falls Jefferson on Monday afternoon, but the Bobcats gained some confidence during the loss.

Brookings trailed 7-6 going into the sixth inning but the Cavaliers then hit back-to-back home runs in the top of the sixth to stretch the lead to 11-6. The Bobcats got a run back in the bottom of the inning but Jefferson hit another home run in the seventh to make it a five-run game heading into the final half inning. Brookings was unable to get anyone across home plate in the bottom of the seventh and the Bobcats lost 12-7.

Jefferson improved to 15-0 on the season and Brookings moved to 8-6. Bobcat head coach Emma Hardin said her team learned a lot in the loss and it gave them some reassurance that they can compete against the top teams in Class AA.

"I'm feeling good," Hardin said. "I think that after last night, it was a tough loss for us, but they're the No. 1 team. So, I think that it was a good learning game for us, and I think that it also gave us the reassurance that we can hang with any team, and that any team on any given day can win a softball game.

"We played them really tight, and then there were a couple home runs and a couple of errors and some hits, and the game just got away from us. But the score really didn't portray how the game actually went. So, I think it was really good for us and gave us some confidence going into the final week of the regular season."

Kendal Linstad and Isia Eidsness each went 2-for-4 with two RBIs in the loss to the Cavaliers. Ramsie Hinricher was 1-for-4 with two RBIs and Grace Romsa was 2-for-4. Kalla Foerster was 1-for-4 and Ella Psyk 1-for-3.

Psyk also pitched a complete game in the circle for the 'Cats. She gave up 12 runs, 10 earned, on 12 hits with seven strikeouts and five walks.

The loss to Jefferson came just two days after the Bobcats lost 9-8 to Rapid City Stevens, who is also undefeated. Brookings' six losses this year have come to the top six teams in Class AA. Four of those six losses were by five runs or less and Hardin said her team needs to focus on pitching and fielding if they want to win against the top teams in the state.

"We talk about how we have to win two of the three areas. We've got to win pitching, offense and defense in order to win a softball game. I think that if we can clean up our defense, we have a good [enough] hitting team. I think that helps us hang with anyone. I think we can play competitively with any team in the state," Hardin said.

The Bobcats had one senior in its starting lineup on Monday. They've been leaning on Linstad, Psyk, Hinricher, Foerster, Romsa and Eidsness, who are all sophomores. Hardin said those sophomores have had to learn a lot during the season.

"I think that this year has been a lot of learning for us. The positive thing is that a lot of these kids have played together for a little while, and so they know each other's strengths. But I also think that they're learning that as a Bobcat softball team, if we are loud and are cheering on each other, they can really do anything," Hardin said.

As of Tuesday, the Bobcats are in eighth in the Class AA standings. Brookings has three games remaining in the regular season and all of them will be on the road. The Bobcats will play at Mitchell on May 18 and the Kernels are 14th in Class AA with a record of 3-11.

If Brookings can handle business against Mitchell, it will set up two critical games to end the season against two teams that are right next to the Bobcats in the standings. They'll play No. 7 Sioux Falls Roosevelt on May 21 and then take on No. 9 Sioux Falls Lincoln on May 22.

The top eight teams host in the SoDak 16 and the winner of those games will head to the Class AA State Tournament, which is June 4-6 in Sioux Falls. Hardin said those final two games are important for seeding, but she also wants her team to win the final three games of the season so they have momentum going into the postseason.

"Those games are going to be really important for us, not only to try to get that home game for the SoDak 16, but also to get that confidence boost hopefully going into the State Tournament," Hardin said. "We will just need to come out ready to go and take it one pitch at a time, one batter at a time, making sure that we are making adjustments quickly.

ìWe talked a lot about that last night after the Jefferson game, that the faster we make adjustments, especially at the plate, the better. We will be going up against good pitchers and we're excited about the next couple games coming up."