BROOKINGS The Brookings Cubs split two games over the weekend, falling 4-1 to Renner on Saturday afternoon, but rebounding to defeat the Rapid City Diamondbacks 13-6 on Sunday afternoon to advance to the second weekend of the South Dakota Class A Amateur Baseball State Tournament.
The Cubs will continue tournament play against the Sioux Falls Brewers with a game scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday at Drake Field in Mitchell.
I think we played well, Cubs manager Rhett Zelinsky said of the weekend. We lost to a tough Renner team and bounced back against a good Rapid City team but I think we really came together toward the end of the weekend and even in the back half of the Renner game so hopefully we can carry that momentum into next weekend.
Saturday
Renner 4, Brookings 1
The Cubs ran into a buzzsaw on the mound in their first game of the tournament as Jeremiah Mauch tossed a complete game in a 4-1 loss to Renner on Saturday afternoon.
Mauch was on point for the Monarchs, allowing one unearned run on seven hits and two walks with 14 strikeouts to earn the victory.
Brookings didnt help its cause by falling into an early hole as Renner scored three times in the top of the first inning. Dave Borchardt drove in the first run on a fielders choice before Mitch Stroh scored on an error to make it 2-0. Adam Durfee drove in a run with a single to put the Monarchs ahead 3-0 and Mauch kept Brookings bats quiet until the bottom of the third inning.
Noel Burgos led off the third with a walk and stole second base until scoring on a two-out error off the bat of Zelinsky. Although it would be the only run of the game for the Cubs, Zelinsky believed his team felt more comfortable as the game went on.
Just getting to see a pitcher, two, three or four times just makes at-bats easier because you get to see his off-speed stuff, Zelinsky explained. But having to try to compete with a 90 mph fastball in his back pocket made things a little harder. But we had better at-bats and were able to string a run across.
Renner scored its final run when Borchardt scored on a wild pitch in the top of the eighth inning.
Jake Ammann started for the Cubs, allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits and four walks with seven strikeouts over seven innings. Jackson Krogman pitched the final two innings allowing an earned run on two hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
Krogman went 2-for-3 at the plate with a stolen base. Tyler Kreutner went 1-for-4 with a double. Jamison Honkomp went 1-for-3 while Chase McDaniel, Noah Buss and Justin Cofell each went 1-for-4.
Renner had six hits in the game. Durfee went 2-for-4 with a double and a stolen base. Ben Ihrke went 2-for-5 with a double and two stolen bases. Borchardt went 1-for-4 while Chaz Palmer went 1-for-3.
Sunday
Brookings 13, Rapid City Diamondbacks 6
The Cubs bounced back on Sunday afternoon as McDaniel, Hammrich and Honkomp each tallied three hits in a 13-6 win over Rapid City.
Brookings got on the board in the top of the first inning when Ammann drew a leadoff walk, Hammrich was hit by a pitch and McDaniel walked to load the bases. Zelinsky cashed in with a two-run double to put Brookings on the board but Rapid City jumped in front on a three-run homer by Jesse Riddle in the bottom of the third inning.
The Cubs made their move in the top of the fifth, however, as Zelinsky led off with a walk and advanced to second base on Kreutners one-out single. Honkomp tied the game with an RBI single before Tucker Wookey drew a two-out walk and Kruetner scored on a wild pitch. Ammann drove in a pair of runs with a two-run double to give the Cubs a 6-3 lead.
Rapid City made things close again with a run on an error and an RBI single by Jed Sullivan but Honkomp doubled and Krogman walked before Wookey drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to make it 7-5.
The Cubs created some separation from there, with Ammann and Hamrich each drawing walks to set up a bases-clearing, three-run double by McDaniel to put Brookings ahead 10-5. Buss drove in a run with a single later in the seventh inning to make it 11-5 and Kruetner hit a two-run single in the top of the ninth inning to give the Cubs a 13-5 lead.
Harrison Good drove in a run with an RBI groundout in the bottom of the ninth inning but it didnt take the shine off a win and a trip to the tournaments final weekend.
Were definitely pleased that were going to Mitchell, Zelinsky said. Well be facing a good Brewers team that weve dropped one to earlier in the year but I hope we can beat them at the right time. Just carrying this momentum into that second weekend of State, hopefully, we can squeak one out and carry that into the rest of the tournament.
Shastay started for Brookings, allowing five runs (three earned on five hits and five walks with six strikeouts over seven innings. Peyton Mandel threw the final two innings, allowing one earned run on one hit with a strikeout.
Brookings tallied 14 hits in the win. In addition to their three-hit games from McDaniel (3-for-5), Hammrich (3-for-4) and Honkomp (3-for-6), Kruetner went 2-for-5, Ammann went 1-for-3 with a double, Zelinsky went 1-for-4 and Buss went 1-for-5.
Walker Paz started for Rapid City, allowing six earned runs on nine hits and six walks with six strikeouts over six innings. Good pitched one inning allowing five earned runs on three hits and three walks with a strikeout. Hayden McGriff threw the final two innings, allowing two earned runs on two hits.
Sullivan went 2-for-5 for the Diamondbacks while Paz and Cody Pope each went 1-for-4 and Riddle and Colton Nesland each went 1-for-4.
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