BROOKINGS The Brookings Bandits ran their early-season win streak to four games after completing a sweep over Pierre in a doubleheader at Bob Shelden Field on Friday evening.
The Bandits improve to 4-2 on the season and will travel west for a doubleheader at Spearfish on Tuesday beginning at 7 p.m. central time.
Game 1: Brookings 1, Pierre 0
Breck Wilson outlasted Miles Doyle in a pitchers duel as the Bandits earned an eight-inning, 1-0 win in the opener of Fridays doubleheader.
Wilson tossed a complete game for the Bandits, allowing one hit and one walk with six strikeouts over eight innings but Doyle was just as good, striking out 13 batters while allowing three hits and two walks over 6.2 shutout innings.
With both pitchers on, the game remained scoreless before Owen Schneider doubled to lead off the bottom of the eighth inning. Breck Hirrschoff reached on an error that allowed Schneider to advance to third base in the next at-bat before Zach Struck was intentionally walked to load the bases.
JJ Bucholz did his best to get out of the jam, forcing Addison Ronning to ground into a force play at home and getting David Brink to pop up for the first two outs of the inning but Bucholz hit Tane Freidrich with a pitch that allowed the winning run to score.
Hirrschoff went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Schneider went 1-for-4 with a double. Struck went 1-for-3 with a walk. Jase Bauer drew a walk and stole a base. Jack Merritt drew a walk.
Game 2: Brookings 2, Pierre 1
Runs were at a premium again in the nightcap as the Bandits used some small ball to pick up the win.
Hirrschoffs one-out triple in the bottom of the third inning set up Struck to drive him in for the first run of the game in the bottom of the third inning. The Bandits loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth with walks by Friedrich and Sam Johnson and a single by Merritt before Tate Helmbolt delivered a sacrifice fly to give Brookings a 2-0 lead.
Pierre cut into the lead on Grayson Hunsleys RBI single in the top of the sixth inning but Brink worked around a hit and six walks, allowing one earned run over six innings with three strikeouts to earn the win.
Helmbolt earned the save for Brookings, allowing one hit in the top of the seventh inning.
Hirrschoff went 2-for-3 with a triple and a run scored. Merritt went 1-for-2 with a walk. Clark went 1-for-2. Friedrich drew a walk and scored a run. Schneider also drew a walk in the win.
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