Bobcats move win streak to four games

BROOKINGS – The Brookings Bobcats varsity baseball team has now won four straight games after sweeping Mitchell last week.

The Bobcats won each game against the Kernels in five innings on Friday night at Bob Shelden Field. Brookings moved to 7-8 on the season and are now in 15th place in the South Dakota High School Baseball Association Class A standings.

The top 16 teams will make the regional playoff series and the winners of those eight series will make the State Tournament. Brookings has a home doubleheader against Aberdeen on Saturday afternoon, with the first game starting at 12 p.m. The ëCats will then close out the regular season with a doubleheader at Yankton on Sunday, with the first game starting at 12 p.m.

The regional series will be on May 15 and 16.

Game One

Brookings 11, Mitchell 0 (5 inn.)

The Bobcats scored five runs in the first and six runs in the third while shutting out the Kernels to earn the five-inning win in round one.

Nolan Krogman pitched all five innings and gave up two hits with three strikeouts and two walks.

Baker Hanson hit a one-out single and then scored on a Cooper Schneider single. Schneider then stole home and Nolan Wagner hit Ben Schulte home with a single to make it 3-0. Jay Harris then hit an RBI double and Jude Meendering scored on a fielderís choice to make it 5-0 going into the second.

Harris came to the plate in the third with the bases loaded and no outs. He would walk and then Andrew Heinze hit a sacrifice fly to make it 7-0. Hanson was then hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Schneider hit Jones Huntimer and Hanson home with a single to push the lead to 10-0. Brookingsí final run of the season came on an error by the pitcher.

The Bobcats had 10 hits in the win. Schneider was 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Harrios was 2-for-2 with two RBIs and Wagner was 2-for-2 with an RBI. Meendering was 2-for-3, Hanson was 1-for-2 and Noah Lease was 1-for-3. Heinze had two RBIs without a hit.

Game Two

Brookings 15, Mitchell 4 (5 inn.)

It was another five-inning victory for the Bobcats in game two as they scored 15 runs on eight hits. They also walked 12 times.

Mitchell scored two runs in the top of the second but Brookings answered with six runs in the bottom of the first.

Wagner came to the plate with the bases loaded and hit Krogman home with a sacrifice fly. Schneider and Jase Bauer then each scored on a passed ball to give Brookings a 3-2 lead. Heinze scored on a passed ball and then Lease hit Harris and Huntimer home with a single to make it 6-2 heading into the second.

Mitchell scored two runs in the top of the second to make it 6-4 but Brookings would get those runs back in the bottom of the inning. Bauer scored on a sacrifice fly from Harris and then Wagner scored on a wild pitch to make it 8-4.

Brookings extended the lead to 13-4 in the bottom of the third. Krogman scored on a Schneider single and then Bauer hit Ryder Anderson and Schneider home with a double to make it 11-4. Harris hit Bauer home with a single and then Lease walked with the bases loaded to give the Bobcats a nine-run lead going into the fourth.

The ëCats scored two more runs in the fourth. Wagner hit both Schneider and Hanson home with a single to make it 15-4 going into the fifth. Mitchell got one runner on in the top of the inning but was unable to score and the game ended via the 10-run rule.

Wagner was 1-for-1 with three RBIs and Bauer was 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Harris was 1-for-2 with two RBIs and Lease was 1-for-2 with three RBIs. Schneider was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Hanson was 1-for-2.

Meendering pitched the first inning and a third and gave up four runs, one earned, on four hits with one walk and no strikeouts. Hanson pitched the rest of the game and gave up no runs or hits with six strikeouts.