SIOUX FALLS The Brookings Cubs improved to 3-1 on the season as they came back to beat the Sioux Falls Flying Squirrels on Thursday night.
Brookings trailed Sioux Falls by four twice in the game but a five-run sixth inning gave the Cubs the lead and they never looked back.
The Flying Squirrels jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first two innings. They scored one run in the first inning. Sioux Falls led off the game with a double and then back-to-back walks loaded the bases with one out. A sacrifice fly then sent a run home and put the Flying Squirrels on the board first.
Sioux Falls loaded the bases again with one out in the second inning. A walk sent home another run and a two-run double put the Flying Squirrels up by four heading into the third.
Brookings then scored its first two runs of the night in the next half inning. Henry Hammrich walked to start the inning and Chase McDaniel followed with an RBI double. Jamison Honkomp then came to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs and he was walked to send home another run and make it 4-2.
However, Sioux Falls would push the lead back to four in the bottom of the fourth. A single and back-to-back walks loaded the bases with no outs. Brookings forced a double play but that scored a run and another run on a passed ball made it 6-2.
Brookings answered with five runs in the sixth to take its first lead of the game. Hammrich hit a one-out single and then scored on an error. Rhett Zelinsky followed that with an RBI double and an RBI single from Luke Adelman made it 6-5. Jamison Honkomp then hit a two-run single and the Cubs took a 7-6 lead into the seventh.
That lead held into the ninth and they added an insurance run in the final inning. Noel Burgos and Honkomp walked to begin the inning and Burgos was hit home on a single from Daniel Messerli to make it 8-6.
The Flying Squirrels hit a one-out single in the bottom of the inning but a double play ended the game and gave the Cubs their third win in four tries.
Brookings had nine hits in the game. Zelinsky was 3-for-4 with an RBI and Honkomp was 1-for-1 with three RBIs. Adelman was 1-for-4 with an RBI and Messerli was 1-for-5 with an RBI. McDaniel was 1-for-6 with an RBI, Hammrich was 1-for-4 and Burgos was 1-for-3.
Messerli got the start for the Cubs and pitched three innings. He gave up six runs, five earned, on five hits with one strikeout and seven walks. Adelman pitched the final six innings and picked up the win. He gave up no runs on two hits with six strikeouts and two walks.
Brookings will host Dell Rapids PBR on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. Sunday will be teacher appreciation night for the Cubs and all Brookings educators are admitted to the game for $3, and all those attending will be given a ticket toward several drawings happening during the game.
Half the proceeds from gate sales, along with half the proceeds from a 50/50 drawing during the game, will be presented to educators attending the game for the purchase of school supplies for the 2024-25 school year.
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