Cubs top Brandon after forfeit against Renner

BROOKINGS – The Brookings Cubs dropped their first game of the season on Saturday but were able to bounce back with a win on Monday.

The Cubs had to forfeit against the Renner Monarchs on Saturday and followed that with a 9-7 victory over the Brandon Belugas on Monday night at Bob Shelden Field. Brookings is now 8-1 on the year and will play the Elkton Snappers at home on Sunday at 6 p.m. The Cubs will follow that up with a 7:30 p.m. game at the Sioux Falls Flying Squirrels on Monday.

There were no game stats available for Saturday’s game. 

Brookings overcame a tough night in the field on Monday as the Cubs had eight errors. However, the Cubs had 16 hits as a team.

The Cubs led 2-1 at the end of the first inning. Brandon struck first with a run on a double in the top of the first. Rhett Zelinsky hit a one-out single in the bottom of the inning and Parker Winghart followed with a double. Both runners then scored on a two-out double from Michael Zimmerman to make it 2-1.

The Cubs extended the lead in the bottom of the second. Nathan Briggs led off the inning with a triple and then scored on a single from Lincoln Vasgaard, making it 3-1 going into the third.

Brookings added two more runs in the third. Colin Gibson reached on an error with one out and then Zimmerman launched one over the left field fence to make it 5-1.

The Cubs’ lead grew to 8-1 in the fourth. All three runs came with two outs. Carson Jager led off the two-out rally with a triple and then Zelinsky was hit by a pitch. Both runners came home on a triple from Winghart and then he scored on a double from Gibson to make it a seven-run game.

Brookings tacked on another run in the fifth. Briggs led off with a walk and he moved to third on a single from Vasgaard. He would then come home on a ground out from Myles Rees to make it 9-1 heading into the sixth.

Brandon pushed across three runs in the top of the sixth. The first two runs came on errors and then the third was on a steal of home. A solo home run in the top of the seventh cut the Cubs lead to 9-5.

Runs from an error and a ground out in the top of the eighth made it 9-7 going into the ninth. Two runners reached on errors with two outs in the top of the ninth but then Zelinsky struck out Jaxon Haase to end the game.

Zimmerman was 3-for-4 with four RBIs and Winghart was 3-for-5 with two RBIs. Vasgaard was 2-for-4 with an RBI and Rees was 1-for-4 with an RBI. Gibson was 2-for-5 with an RBI and Zelinsky was 2-for-4. Jager was 2-for-5 and Briggs was 1-for-3.

Jake Pruchniak got the start for the Cubs on the mound and pitched three innings. He gave up one earned run on three hits with five strikeouts and two walks. Reid Barnard pitched the next three innings and gave up three earned runs on four hits with seven strikeouts and five walks. Briggs came in and pitched two innings and gave up three runs, two earned, on one hit with three strikeouts and four walks. Zelinsky got the final three hits and gave up no runs or hits with two strikeouts and no walks.