Bobcats fall in region championship game

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BROOKINGS – After earning the right to host a regional tournament after a 17-7 regular season the Brookings Bobcats baseball team saw its season come to a close in the region championship.

After the third-seeded Bobcats defeated 14th-seeded Huron in the second game of the regional, the No. 6 Sioux Falls Washington Warriors, who defeated 11th-seeded O’Gorman 5-3 in the first game of the day at Bob Shelden Field, scored two runs in the seventh inning to break a 4-4 tie, and after the Bobcats could not answer in the bottom of the seventh the Warriors punched their ticket to state.

 Brookings 8, Huron 2

Brookings used a five-run third inning to break a scoreless tie and would go on to post the win to get into the region championship.

After trading zeroes in the first two innings the Bobcats finally got to Tigers’ starter Johnny Hernandez for five runs in the third inning.

Austin Clark reached on a one-out error and would move to third after Lincoln Hardin and Breck Hirrschoff drew back-to-back walks.

Charlie Holm broke the scoreless tie one batter later with a single that scored Clark and Lincoln Hardin scampered home on a wild pitch one at-bat later to make it 2-0.

Ashton Witte doubled the Bobcat lead with one swing with a single to center that scored both Hirrschoff and Holm, and after Jake Ammann singled to advance Witte to second Justin Cofell delivered a base hit of his own to score Witte and give Brookings what would be an insurmountable 5-0 lead.

Huron would answer with two runs in the fifth inning. Jonathan Peterson singled to bring home a run, then Max Kranzler added a single of his own to score another, but a third runner was tagged out at home for the third out of the inning to extinguish the threat and with Brookings holding a 5-2 lead.

The Bobcats got a run back in the fifth after consecutive two-out doubles from Sam Hardin and Witte gave Brookings a 6-2 lead and an Ammann single upped the lead to 7-2.

Hirrschoff’s RBI single in the sixth scored Lincoln Hardin to account for the final 8-2 margin.

The five-run third inning was all that Bobcats’ starter Nathan Lease needed as he worked quickly and efficiently in taming the Tigers. Lease logged all seven innings on the mound and gave up just four hits. Both runs he allowed were unearned. Lease walked two batters and struck out seven in the win.

Witte finished with two hits and drove in three while Sam Hardin and Ammann also delivered a pair of hits.

Kranzler had two of the Tigers’ four hits.

Region championship

 SF Washington 6, Brookings 4

Both the Bobcats and Warriors traded blows for the first six innings.

Washington opened a 3-0 lead with three runs in the top of the third inning. The first three batters of the inning for Washington would reach and allow a sacrifice fly to break the scoreless tie.

Another walk from Ammann, the Bobcats’ starting pitcher in the region championship, reloaded the bases. A wild pitch from Ammann allowed the Warriors to advance all runners up 90 feet including their second run of the game, then another sac fly gave Washington a 3-0 lead after two and a half innings.

Brookings would respond in short order with three runs of their own in the bottom of the inning.

Holm led off the inning with a double and after both Witte and Sam Hardin were hit by pitches to load the bases, a wild pitch brought Holm home before Ammann’s double cut the lead to 3-2.

Trey Svennes’ sacrifice fly scored Ammann to tie the game at three.

Brookings would take a 4-3 lead an inning later. Hirrschoff singled and would eventually come around to score on Sam Hardin’s RBI single that put the Bobcats in front.

Washington responded in the fifth to tie the game at four and set the stage for the seventh inning.

The Warriors opened the seventh with a triple from Bryce Ronkin and a walk to Myles Rees. Both would score one batter later when Andrew Glovich ripped a double to the left field gap off reliever Josh Devine and give Washington a 6-4 lead.

In the last of the seventh Ammann walked with two outs and brought Cofell to the plate, representing the tying run, but a fielder’s choice forced Ammann at second and punched the ticket to state for the Warriors.

Brookings had just four hits in the game, two from Holm. Sam Hardin and Ammann had the other two Bobcat hits.

Ammann was charged with the loss. He allowed six runs (five earned) in six-plus innings of work, scattering five hits, walking five, but striking out seven.

Ronken finished with two of Washington’s six hits.

Glovich earned the win in relief, pitching the final two innings and allowing just one batter to reach, the result of a walk.

Brookings finishes the year 18-8 and will have the core of their team on the field when the calendar turns from spring to summer baseball. The Post 74 Bandits open the summer season on May 31 with a doubleheader against Pierre beginning at 5 p.m. at Bob Shelden Field.