Bandits sweep Huron to run streak to nine straight wins

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BROOKINGS – The Brookings Post 74 Senior American Legion Bandits ran their streak to nine consecutive wins with a doubleheader sweep of Huron Post 7 on a sweltering Wednesday night at Bob Shelden Field in Brookings.

Post 74 rallied to score four in the bottom of the seventh to win game one, 6-5, then Parker Winghart’s one-hit shutout gave Brookings the sweep with a 6-0 win in the night cap.

Brookings (16-8) hosts Sioux Falls West tomorrow at 3 p.m., the adjusted start time of the doubleheader a result of the upcoming Independence Day holiday weekend.

Game One

 Brookings 6, Huron 5

The Bandits were unable to solve Huron’s Johnny Hernandez for the better part of five innings but finally got to the Post 7 hurler as his pitch count climbed toward 100 on a day where the temperature also got close to the century mark.

Huron led off the first inning with a pair of base runners on Bandits’ starter Josh Devine but a pair of strikeouts got Devine out of trouble, stranding two.

Brookings went quietly in their half of the first and Huron broke through for four runs in the second inning, using five singles and an error to give the visitors a 4-0 edge after an inning and a half.

Hernandez kept the Bandits off the scoreboard until the fifth inning when Lincoln Hardin and Breck Hirrschoff had back-to-back one-out singles before Justin Cofell’s base hit scored Lincoln Hardin to get Brookings on the board, trailing 4-1.

Sam Hardin, Ashton Witte, and Lincoln Hardin all reached with one out in the sixth, prompting Huron to bring in Max Kranzler. After Hirrschoff struck out, Winghart drew a free pass to force in a run and cut the lead to 4-2.

Post 7 got a run back in the top of the seventh, courtesy of two hits and a run-scoring ground out, setting the stage for the Bandits needing three to extend the game.

Nathan Lease walked with one out, as did Zach Struck. Both would come home on Sam Hardin’s two-run triple, trimming the Huron lead to 5-4.

Witte reached on a fielder’s choice before Lincoln Hardin slapped a grounder at the Huron third baseman who botched the ground ball, allowing Sam Hardin to score and tie the game at five.

Following a strikeout, Winghart played hero for the Bandits, singling up the middle to score Witte, capping a four-run seventh and a 6-5 come from behind victory.

Winghart and Sam Hardin each had two hits and two runs batted in while Lincoln Hardin also had a pair of hits and an RBI.

Devine went the distance on the mound, scattering nine hits and allowing five runs of which only one was earned. He did not walk a batter and struck out five.

Kranzler, Hernandez, and Peyton Grace all had two hits for Huron as Post 7 outhit Brookings, 9-8.


Game Two

 Brookings 6, Huron 0

Post 74 struck for four runs in the first inning to open a 4-0 lead, the big blow coming from Henry Hammrich who clobbered a 1-2 pitch at the trio of flagpoles in left field and over the fence for his second home run of the season.

Cofell singled and scored on Witte’s double to make it 3-0, then Trey Svennes’ hard-hit liner ticked off the Huron second baseman’s glove for a hit, scoring Witte and giving the Bandits a 4-0 lead.

Brookings added two more runs in the third inning.

Struck reached on an error and moved to second when Svennes took a pitch to the rib cage, then Devine walked to load the bases. Payton Theodosopoulos drew a walk of his own to force in Struck and Lincoln Hardin’s fielder’s choice scored Svennes to give Brookings a 6-0 lead.

Six runs was more than enough for Winghart as he carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning as storm clouds started to grow off to the west. Working quickly, Winghart induced a fly out and ground out for the first two outs of the inning, and needing just one more out to complete the no-hitter, Huron’s Kolby Hofer lined a single to center as a digit finally appeared for Huron in the hits column of the Bob Shelden Field scoreboard.

Still looking for a shutout after losing the no-no, Winghart struck out the final Post 7 batter to keep Huron scoreless and secure the doubleheader sweep for the Bandits.

Cofell finished with three hits in game two while Witte doubled twice with an RBI.

Hammrich’s homer and Svennes’ single were the other two hits of the Bandits’ seven-hit second game.

Winghart finished with just the lone hit allowed while walking two and striking out seven.

Postseason Push

Prior to the doubleheader against Huron, Brookings entered the day with a firm hold on the fifth slot in the Class A standings of South Dakota American Legion baseball.

Brandon Valley held the top spot with a rank of 43.875 points, followed by Mitchell (43.571), Rapid City Post 22 (43.267), Sioux Falls East (43.000), then the Bandits.

Yankton (41.818), Renner (41.267), Harrisburg (40.375), Rapid City Post 320 (40.231), and Watertown (39.385) rounded out the top ten.

Rapid City Post 22, as state tournament host, automatically qualifies for the state tournament, leaving the remaining 15 teams to battle for the remaining seven spots.

Should the postseason have started before the Bandits’ doubleheader with Huron, Brookings would have been hosting No. 12 seeded Pierre.

No. 16 Sturgis would be the odd team out as they trail No. 15 Aberdeen by approximately three-tenths of a point for the final play-in spot.

The top eight teams host a best two-out-of three series with the winners of each series advancing to the state tournament.

Class A American Legion Baseball Standings (as of June 27)

1. Brandon Valley, 43.875

2. Mitchell, 43.571

3. Rapid City Post 22, 43.267 (automatic qualifier)

4. Sioux Falls East, 43.000

5. Brookings, 41.923

6. Yankton, 41.818

7. Renner, 41.267

8. Harrisburg, 40.375

9. Rapid City Post 320, 40.231

10. Watertown, 39.385

11. Sioux Falls West, 39.333

12. Pierre, 39.200

13. Huron, 38.714

14. Spearfish, 38.400

15. Aberdeen, 37.471

16. Sturgis, 37.125