HARRISBURG The Brookings Bandits legion baseball season came to an end on Thursday afternoon as the Bandits were swept in a three-game state tournament-qualifying series with Harrisburg.
After game one was postponed on Wednesday night, the Tigers won the first game 7-2 and then came away with a 6-1 victory in game two to advance to the state tournament in Watertown next week. Brookings finished the season with a record of 17-23.
Game 1: Harrisburg 7, Brookings 2
Harrisburg led 5-1 with one out in the first inning on Wednesday night when the game was postponed.
Brookings scored a run in the top of the first when Tre Christopherson scored on a wild pitch. Harrisburgs Bryson Esser hit an RBI single to tie the game and then Michael Oakland hit a two-run to make it 3-1. Oakland and Taten Munce then scored on an error to push the lead to 5-1. The first two batters on Thursday struck out and flew out to end the inning.
Neither team scored again until the fifth inning when Harrisburg extended the lead to 6-1. Esser was hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the fifth and then he scored on a single from Ethan Beek.
The Tigers added another bottom of the sixth. Kason Syverson was hit by a pitch to start the inning and Andrew Dierks ran for him and stole second and advanced to third on a ground out. Eli Kokenge and N Boschee each walked to load the bases up and Esser hit Dierks home with a sacrifice fly to make it 7-1.
Brookings got that run back in the top of the seventh but that was the only run the Bandits scored in their final at bats of the game. Christopherson and Winston Plummer walked and Cooper Schneider reached on an error to load the bases up with one out. Tane Friedrich was then hit by a pitch with two outs but Maxten Jensen struck out to end the game.
Christopherson had the only hit of the game for the Bandits and he was 1-for-1. Antonen pitched one third of an inning and gave up five runs, three earned, on two hits with one strikeout and one walk. Nolan Wagner pitched the final five and two thirds and gave up two earned runs on two hits with one strikeout and five walks.
Game 2: Harrisburg 6, Brookings 1
Harrisburg led 5-0 through four innings and cruised to the win again in game two.
The Tigers scored three runs in the top of the second. Munce hit a lead-off single and Oakland followed with a walk. Munce scored on an error and then Oakland came home on a single from Ty Raymond. Kokenge then hit Griffen Schlapkohl home to make it a three-run game through two innings.
Schlapkol hit and Gabe Long hit back-to-back singles in the top of the fourth. Schlapkohl scored on a sacrifice fly and then Long scored on a double to make it 5-0.
Brookings got on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Jay Harris hit a lead-off single and advanced to second and third on back-to-back ground outs from Jensen and Jon Kahler. Harris then scored on a Schneider single to make it 5-1.
Harrisburg added an insurance run in the top of the sixth. Raymond walked and then scored on a Kokenge single.
Brookings had three hits in the loss. Schneider was 2-for-3 and Harris was 1-for-3.
Breck Wilson got the start on the mound and pitched five and two thirds innings. He gave up six earned runs on nine hits with five strikeouts and four walks. Kysin Reuer pitched the final inning and a third and gave up no runs or hits and had one strikeout and no walks.
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