Brookings U14 Wood Bat Tournament: Bombers Black go 2-0 on opening day; Maroon 1-1

The Brookings U14 Wood Bat Tournament began Friday at three fields around town. The Bombers Black and Bombers Maroon both played a pair of games at Bob Shelden Field, with Black going 2-0 and Maroon 1-1. Zach Treiber lays down a perfect sacrifice bunt to advance teammate Caleb Stratmoen to third base during the first inning of the Bombers Black’s 10-1 win over the Watertown Black Sox. / Ryan Argust fires a pitch during the second inning of the Bombers Maroon’s 7-6 win over Sioux Falls Central. / Bombers Maroon shortstop Trey Tiefenthaler tags out Sioux Falls Central’s Seth Randell after Randell tried to steal second base in the fifth inning. / Bombers Black shortstop Akren Prodoehl backhands a groundball to get an out during the top of the fourth inning of Brookings’ 7-1 win over Brandon Valley in their opening game of the tournament.

BROOKINGS – The Bombers Black went 2-0 and the Bombers Maroon posted a 1-1 record on the opening day of the Brookings U14 Wood Bat Tournament on Friday.

Black is leading Pool A in the majors division after beating Brandon Valley 7-1 and Watertown 10-1.

Maroon, which is in Pool C in the minors division, bounced back from a 4-3 loss to Brandon Valley with a 7-6 victory over Sioux Falls Central.

Tournament action continues today with the Bombers Black (10-8) taking on Mitchell Black at 7 p.m. and the Bombers Maroon (11-7) facing the Sioux Falls Cyclones at 9 a.m. Both games are at Bob Shelden Field. The tourney wraps up with seed games Sunday.



Brookings U14

Wood Bat Tournament

Friday’s scores

MAJORS

Pool A

Brookings Bombers Black 7, Brandon Valley 1

Brookings Bombers Black 10, Watertown 1 (5 inn.)

Mitchell Black 4, Watertown 0

Pool B

Marshall 5, Sioux Falls Central 4

North Heights Stillwater 6, Yankton 5

MINORS

Pool C

Brookings Bombers Maroon 7, Sioux Falls Central 6

Brandon Valley 4, Brookings Bombers Maroon 3

Sioux Falls Cyclones 4, Brandon Valley 1

Pool D

Marshall 3, Mitchell White 2

Marshall 15, Yankton 5

Mitchell White 9, Watertown 0



• Brookings Bombers Black 7, Brandon Valley 1

Chris Lerdal and Akren Prodoehl combined to throw a four-hitter, and the Bombers Black scored three runs in the first inning and four in the third in the victory.

Lerdal allowed one run – unearned – on three hits over the first four innings; and Prodoehl gave up one hit over the final two frames. Both pitchers struck out one without issuing a walk.

Lerdal opened the scoring in the bottom of the first with an RBI single. Prodoehl scored on a wild pitch and Lerdal scored on an error to make it 3-0.

In the third, Prodoehl scored on an error. Zach Treiber added a run-scoring hit; and Lerdal and Treiber both scored on a fielding error to put Brookings up 7-1.

Lerdal paced the Bombers Black with two hits.

Taylor Thompson had two hits for the Thundercats. Cole Christiansen reached on an error and later scored on an error for Brandon Valley’s run in the third. He also took the pitching loss, allowing seven runs – three earned – on five hits, with four walks and a strikeout, in five innings.



BROOKINGS BOMBERS BLACK 7, BRANDON VALLEY 1

Brandon Valley 001 000 – 1 4 3

Brookings 304 00x – 7 5 3

Cole Christiansen and Kyle Bailey; Chris Lerdal and Akren Prodoehl. W – Lerdal. L – Christensen.



• Brookings Bombers Black 10, Watertown 1 (5 inn.)

Three Brookings pitchers shut down the Watertown offense and the Bombers Black broke open the game with a seven-run second inning.

Isaac Rounds allowed one run on two hits over the first two innings; Isaac Brandt, who earned the win, gave up one hit over the next two innings; and Jacob Pharis tossed a perfect fifth to close out the game. The trio combined for seven strikeouts and one walk.

Down by a run early, Caleb Stratmoen scored on Garret Jeppesen’s groundout to tie the game at 1-all.

Brookings recorded five hits and took advantage of a pair of Black Sox errors in the big second inning.

Pharis scored on Eddie Miller’s fielder’s choice to get the scoring going. Stratmoen followed with an RBI single; Zach Treiber added a two-run double; and Stratmoen scored on Jeppesen’s ground out. Sam McMacken and Preston Tetzlaff capped the big inning with back-to-back RBI doubles to make it 8-1.

In the third, Wallen scored on a wild pitch and Stratmoen had another run-scoring hit to provide for the final margin.

Stratmoen finished 2-for-2 with a walk and two RBIs. Treiber and Jeppesen both had two RBIs.

Micah Kaufmann led off the game with a single and later scored on a wild pitch for Watertown’s lone run.



BROOKINGS BOMBERS BLACK 10, WATERTOWN 1 (5 inn.)

Watertown 100 00 – 1 3 3

Brookings 172 0x – 10 6 2

Noah Hanson, Jerad Weber (3) and Jarret Spiering; Isaac Rounds, Isaac Brandt (3), Jacob Pharis (5) and Preston Tetzlaff. W – Brandt. L – Hanson. 2B: B, Zach Treiber, Sam McMacken, Tetzlaff.



• Brookings Bombers Maroon 7, Sioux Falls Central 6

Brookings overcame an early 3-0 deficit with four runs in the bottom of the first and held on for the win.

The Bombers Maroon pushed the lead to 7-3 in the third, before Sioux Falls pulled back within a run – 7-6 – in the fifth.

Ryan Argust put Brookings on the board with a two-run single in the first. Matt Mason and Argust both scored on wild pitches to make it 4-3.

In the third, Hunter Liles scored on Mason’s groundout to shortstop. Argust and Carter Holm made it home on wild pitches after that to put the Bombers Maroon ahead 7-3.

Argust finished with two hits and two RBIs, while also earning the pitching win in relief. He gave up three runs on two hits, with seven strikeouts and three walks, in 3 2/3 innings. Mason tossed the final 1 1/3, giving up just one hit while striking out two, to pick up the save.

Chase Norton paced Sioux Falls with a pair of hits, including an RBI double in the first and a two-run single in the fifth.

Also in the first, TJ Schaefer scored on Micah Spader’s groundout and Jacon Rames added an RBI single to stake the visitors to a 3-0 lead. In the fifth, Schaefer scored on a bases-loaded walk to Jonah Rasmussen, before Schafer’s two-out, two-run hit made it 7-6.

Schafer and Garrett Powell added two hits apiece for Sioux Falls Central.



BROOKINGS BOMBERS MAROON 7, SIOUX FALLS CENTRAL 6

S.F. Central 300 030 – 6 7 0

Brookings 403 00x – 7 5 1

Jonah Rasmussen, Tanner Brown (4) and Micah Spader; Cameron May, Ryan Argust (2), Matt Mason (5) and Riggen Zelinsky. W – Argust. L – Rasmussen. Sv. – Mason. 2B: SFC, Chase Norton.



• Brandon Valley 4, Brookings Bombers Maroon 3

Brookings’ sixth-inning rally came up just short as the Rivercats hung on for the win.

The Bombers Maroon scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth.

Trey Tiefenthaler had a pinch-hit single with one out and scored when Jake Devine reached base on a throwing error with two outs. Sam Wilber walked and Brandin Heesch singled to load the bases, when Ryan Argust drew a walk to score Devine. That made it 4-3; however, a pop-out ended the rally.

Maroon led 1-0 early. Devine led off the first with a single, stole second, advanced to third on Wilber’s sacrifice bunt and scored on Heesch’s groundout.

Cameron May had the other hit – a double – for Brookings.

For Brandon Valley, Wilson Kolbeck scored on an error after stealing third to tie the game at 1-all in the third. In the fourth, Spencer Grage scored on Tyler Zimmerman’s groundball. The Rivercats took a 4-1 lead in the fifth when Chase Grade recorded a run-scoring single and later scored on Ryan Meyer’s groundout.

Brookings pitchers Heesch, Jameson Meyer and Devine combined to allow just one hit, with five strikeouts and three walks. Meyer took the loss in relief.

Mitchell Hoover tossed a three-hitter and gave up just one earned run to earn the win on the mound. He struck out three and walked three.



BRANDON VALLEY 4, BROOKINGS BOMBERS MAROON 1

Brandon Valley 001 120 – 4 1 1

Brookings 100 002 – 3 4 3

Mitchell Hoover and Tyler Zimmerman; Brandin Heesch, Jameson Meyer (4), Jake Devine (6) and Sam Wilber. W – Hoover. L – Meyer. 2B: B, Cameron May.