State champs!

Sean Welsh/Register

Tourney MVP Matt Thomas (far right) gets a hug from Brookings head coach Rob Hirrschoff after the Bandits won the Class A American Legion State Tournament with an 11-10 victory over Sioux Falls East on Sunday evening at Fossum Field in Aberdeen.



It marked the first state Legion baseball title in Brookings history. Thomas earned a win and a save on the mound Sunday, as Brookings Post 74 also beat Rapid City Post 22, 3-1, in an afternoon matchup to get into the title game.



Post 74 (43-8) now advances to the Central Plains Regional in Dickinson, N.D., with a spot in the American Legion World Series on the line. Tournament action begins Thursday at 10 a.m. with the Bandits taking on Lincoln Pinnacle Bank, the state runner-up in Nebraska. For more on Brookings' state title run, see Page B1.



A welcome home ceremony for the Bandits starts at 7 p.m. tonight, Aug. 6, at Bob Shelden Field. Friends of Baseball requests the community attend the event, which organizers say is the culmination of a year of hard work for the Legion program.



“This championship not only signifies what we strive for at all levels of play in the FOB organization, but also shows the up-and-coming players just what they're working toward,” said FOB publicity director Aaron Jorenby.