Cubs win district tournament, State Tournament up next

BROOKINGS – The Brookings Cubs continued their strong season with a North Central District Tournament title over the weekend.

The Cubs run-ruled both of their opponents on Saturday, beating the Sioux Falls Flying Squirrels 15-0 and Aberdeen Circus 15-3.

Up next, the Cubs (18-2) will play in the Class A Amateur State Baseball Tournament, which begins this weekend in Yankton. Brookings will open the tournament on Friday at 5:30 p.m. against the Tea Steam. 

Tea was the only team to beat the Cubs on the field this year as the Steam topped Brookings 4-3 in the regular season finale on July 23. The Cubs also beat the Steam 15-5 in seven innings on June 28. Brookings other loss came via forfeit on June 13 to Renner.

Brookings and Tea will play the winner or loser of Yankton and Harrisburg on Saturday. Should the Cubs win their first game, they would play at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. If they lose, they’ll play at 11 a.m.

The second weekend of the tournament will be played in Mitchell. The championship game is scheduled for Aug. 16.

Brookings 15, Sioux Falls Flying Squirrels 0 (5 inn.)

It was 0-0 after the first inning and the Cubs rolled after that.

Brooking scored two runs in the bottom of the second. Myles Rees hit an RBI double and then Noah Buss scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.

Arlen Peters then came to the plate in the bottom of the third with two runners on. Mitch Olson scored on a wild pitch and then Peters blasted over the center field fence to push the lead to 5-0.

Brookings broke the game open in the fourth with seven runs. Olson hit an RBI double and then Justin Cofell scored on a Rhett Zelinsky single to make it 7-0. Zelinsky and Olson then each scored on a fielder’s choice to push the lead to 9-0. Buss then scored on an error and Cooper Schneider came home on a single from Vasgaard to make it 11-0. The final run of the inning came on a single from Rees. 

The Cubs added three more runs in the bottom of the fifth to end the game via the 15-run rule. Michael Zimmerman hit Zelinsky and Parker Winghart home with a double. The game then ended when Schneider scored on an error.

Brookings had 16 hits as a team. Zimmerman was 1-for-4 with four RBIs and Rees was 3-for-3 with two RBIs. Peters was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and Zelinsky was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Vasgaard and Olson were each 1-for-3 with an RBI. Buss was 3-for-4 and Winghart was 2-for-4. Cofell was 1-for-2.

Jake Pruchniak pitched all five innings for the Cubs. He gave up no runs and two hits with seven strikeouts and no walks.

Brookings 15, Aberdeen 3 (7 inn.)

The Cubs went up 9-0 in the first three innings and were able to win via the 10-run rule in the seventh inning.

Brookings scored two runs in the first. Olson scored on an error and then Winghart came home on a Zimmerman ground out to make it 2-0.

Vasgaard led off the bottom of the second and hit one over the left field fence to make it 3-0. Rees then scored on an Olson ground out and Winghart hit Jude Meendering home with a single to make it 5-0. Brookings’ final run of the second came on a double from Peters.

Vasgaard hit another lead-off home run in the bottom of the third and this one went over the left field wall again. Zelinsky then hit a two-run double and pushed the lead to 9-0.

Casey Vining hit a solo homer for Aberdeen in the top of the fourth but that was the only run they scored that inning. Zelinsky got that run back in the bottom of the fifth with a solo shot to left field, making it 10-1 going into the sixth.

Vining hit a two-run single in the top of the sixth to make it 10-3. Brookings then scored five runs in the bottom of the inning.

Rees and Meendering each hit RBI singles to make it 12-3. Zelinsky then sent two home with a single and Olson scored on a Winghart fielder’s choice to push the lead to 15-3.

Aberdeen was unable to score a run in the top of the seventh and the game ended.

The Cubs racked up 17 hits in their second victory of the day. Zelinsky was 3-for-5 with five RBIs and Winghart was 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Meendering was 2-for-3 with an RBI and Rees, Zimmerman and Olson were 2-for-4 with an RBI. Peters was 1-for-5 with an RBI and Buss was 1-for-3.

Peters pitched the first six innings and gave up three earned runs on three hits with 12 strikeouts and one walk. Reid Barnard pitched the seventh inning and gave up no runs or hits with two strikeouts and a walk.