Cubs split first two State Tournament games, will have to work through losers bracket

YANKTON – The Brookings Cubs will be playing in the second weekend of the Class A State Amateur Baseball Tournament, but they will have to work their way through the loser’s side of the bracket if they want to win a state title.

Brookings beat Tea 9-6 on Friday before falling to Harrisburg 5-3 in 10 innings on Saturday. The Cubs will take on the Sioux Falls Brewers this upcoming Friday at 3 p.m. Brookings dominated the Brewers in the regular season, beating them 15-0 and 9-0.

The winner of Brookings and Sioux Falls will play the winner of Aberdeen and Tea on Saturday at 11 a.m. and the loser will be eliminated. The Cubs will need to win five games this weekend if they want to win the championship.

Friday

Brookings 9, Tea 6

It was 5-5 going into the eighth inning and the Cubs scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth to claim the victory in their first game of the State Tournament.

Brooklings went up 1-0 in the bottom of the first. Carson Jager led off the inning with a double and then came home on a double from Parker Winghart.

The Cubs extended their lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the third. Jager hit a lead-off single and Rhett Zelinsky followed with a double. Jager scored on a double from Arlen Peters and then Peters came home on a wild pitch. Myles Rees drove Ben Schulte home with a single to make it a four-run lead.

Tea got on the board in the top of the fourth with an RBI single from Matthew Hanson. However, the Cubs got that run back in the bottom of the inning. Nolan Krogman led off with a single and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. He then came home on a Jager single to make it 5-1.

Tea cut the lead in half in the top of the sixth. Ben Loos came to the plate with a runner on and no outs and he launched one over the left field fence to make it 5-3. The Steam then tied the game in the top of the seventh on a two-run double from Hanson.

Justin Cofell led off the bottom of the eighth with a single for the Cubs. Krogman followed with a walk. Cofell then scored on a Zelinsky double and Krogman came home on a single from Peters. Michael Zimmerman hit a sacrifice fly and Winghart scored on a steal of home to make it 9-5 going into the final inning. 

Tea scored a run on a fielder’s choice but then Hanson flew out to end the game.

Brookings had 14 hits in the win. Peters was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Rees was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Jager and Zelinsky were each 3-for-5 with an RBI. Winghart was 1-for-4 with an RBI and Krogman was 2-for-3. Cofell was 1-for-3.

Peters started the game on the mound for the Cubs. He pitched six innings and gave up three earned runs on five hits with eight strikeouts and four walks. Seth Peterson then pitched two thirds of an inning and gave up two unearned runs on two hits with two walks and no strikeouts. Logan Anderson pitched the final two and a third innings and gave up one earned run on two hits with three strikeouts and no walks.

Saturday

Harrisburg 5, Brookings 3

It was only the second actual loss of the season for the Cubs and it came in extra innings.

Each team scored a run in the fourth inning. Noah Boschee hit a solo home run to right field for the Woodies in the top of the fourth to make it 1-0. Winghart then hit a single in the bottom of the inning and he came home on a double from Peters to make it 1-1.

Harrisburg went up 3-1 in the top of the sixth. A single and an error put two runners on with one out. Tyler Mitzel then hit an RBI single and Boschee followed with an RBI single as well to put the Woodies up two.

Brookings evened the score again in the bottom of the inning. Zelinsky singled to lead off the inning. Winghart then reached on an error and Peters hit a single to load the bases up with no outs. Zimmerman was up next and he doubled to score Zelinsky and Peters. That made it 3-3 going into the seventh.

That score remained until the top of the 10th. JT Miller reached on an error to start the 10th and then Jack Sutton blasted a two-run homer to right field and make it 5-3.

Zelinsky hit a lead off single and then Zimmerman hit a single to put two runners on with two outs. Colin Gibson then came to plate and hit a fly out to right field and the Cubs took the loss.

The Cubs had 11 hits as a team. Zimmerman was 2-for-5 with two RBIs and Peters was 3-for-5 with an RBI. Zelinsky and Winghart were each 2-for-5. Noah Lease and Seth Peterson were each 1-for-4.

Jake Ammann pitched six innings and gave up three runs, two earned, on four hits with nine strikeouts and one walk. Reid Barnard pitched the final four innings and gave up two runs, one earned, on four hits with six strikeouts and two walks.