Cubs cruise to state tourney berth

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AURORA – Three pitchers combined on a pair of shutouts and the Cubs offense was explosive as Brookings advanced to the state tournament with a pair of victories in the North District Tournament on Saturday at Langland Field.

The Cubs dropped the host Aces 15-0 in six innings and Aberdeen Circus Sports Bar 14-0 in seven in the final.

Brookings improved to 19-2.

The Class A State Amateur Baseball Tournament begins Friday at Riverside Park in Yankton. The Cubs play Brandon at 5 p.m.

Championship

 Brookings 14, Aberdeen 0 (7 inn.)

Joey Texley tossed a four-hit shutout, striking out three and walking three.

He induced six groundball outs and 11 flyouts.

The right-hander is 6-0 with a 2.475 ERA in 40 innings (seven appearances/six starts) this season.

The Cubs broke things open right away with seven runs in the bottom of the first frame.

They added one in the fourth and six in the fifth.

Sam McMacken was 3-for-3 with a double and a trio of RBIs. The left-hander upped his average to an impressive .549, with 22 of his 39 hits going for extra bases in 2020.

Nos. 1-2 hitters Todd Standish (two RBIs) and Jake Anderson (one RBI) both collected a pair of hits.

Catcher Austin Koenig and recent high school graduate Rhett Zelinsky both stroked two-run doubles.

Jacolby Anderson and Jared Tschetter added RBIs, with Jeff Fish picking up a hit.

Aberdeen starter Sam Krampf gave up 13 runs – 11 earned – on eight hits and six walks with three strikeouts in four-plus innings.

BROOKINGS 14, ABERDEEN 0

Aberdeen  000 000 0      0    4  2

Brookings 700 160 x    14  10  0

Sam Krampf, Brandon Kusler (5), Zach Reierson (6) and Michael Babcock; Joey Texley and Austin Koenig. W – Texley. L – Krampf. 2B: B, Koenig, Sam McMacken, Rhett Zelinsky.

Semifinal

 Brookings 15, Aurora 0 (6 inn.)

Jake Devine and Jacob Schoon combined on a one-hit shutout as the Cubs opened with a dominant victory.

Devine, a left-hander, K’ed six and walked a pair in three frames. He struck out the side in each of the first two innings.

Schoon tossed the final three, giving up one hit with five strikeouts.

Tschetter and Fish led Brookings’ 19-hit attack – both went 3-for-4 with an RBI as the former tallied a pair of doubles and the latter had one.

McMacken doubled, singled and drove in four.

Ty Schneider also doubled and singled, adding a pair of RBIs. Kyle Krogman totaled one hit and two RBIs.

Jake Anderson (RBI) and Standish each had a pair of hits. Koenig contributed a hit and an RBI.

Daniel Messerli drove in a run. Jacolby Anderson, Zelinsky and Tanner Shepardson singled.

Brookings led 3-0 after an inning and 4-0 through two before putting up an eight-spot in the third.

Eric Bechler had Aurora’s lone hit. Colton Wendland surrendered 12 runs – 10 earned – on 15 hits in three innings.

BROOKINGS 15, AURORA 0 (6 inn.)

Aurora       000 000      0    1  3

Brookings 318 102    15  19  2

Colton Wendland, Drew Cole (4), Ryan Treiber (4) and Wes Koenig; Jake Devine, Jacob Schoon (4) and Austin Koenig, Tanner Shepardson (5). W – Schoon. L – Wendland. 2B: B, Jeff Fish, Sam McMacken, Ty Schneider, Jared Tschetter 2.