BROOKINGS – The Brookings Cubs picked up two wins on the weekend in games at Bob Shelden Field.
Brookings defeated the Milroy Irish in a Friday night slugfest, 13-11, then pitched a shutout on Sunday against the Castlewood Monarchs, 7-0.
Friday
• Brookings 13, Milroy 11
The Cubs used a six-run seventh inning to turn a 9-7 deficit into a 13-9 lead, then withstood a ninth-inning rally by the Irish to secure the win.
Milroy picked up an early 1-0 lead when Cubs’ starter Tyler Kreutner’s second hit batsmen of the inning came with the bases loaded to force in a run.
Brookings answered in the bottom of the first with a two-out score. Jeff Fish drew a walk and would come around to score when Sam McMacken ripped a double to right field.
The Cubs took their first lead of the game in the third. Fish doubled with one out, then Kreutner was hit by a pitch and Noel Burgos reached on a slow-roller to second base to load the bases. A wild pitch scored Fish and one pitch later another wild pitch allowed Kreutner to scamper home and give Brookings a 3-1 lead.
The Irish answered with five runs in the third, the big blow coming from Milroy and Brookings dual-rostered player Jared Tschetter who was forced into duty with the Irish when the number of Milroy players available for the game, or lack thereof, threatened to result in the cancellation of the game. Tschetter nearly hit a grand slam, bouncing a double off the left field fence that allowed two runs to score which would give the Irish a 4-3 lead, and they would add two more to lead 6-3 heading to the home half of the fourth inning.
The Cubs answered with three runs of their own in the fourth to again tie the game. Austin Koenig led off with a single and came around to score when Chase McDaniel stroked a double to the right-center gap.
Two outs later McMacken connected for his first home run of the season, a two-run shot to right-center field that knotted the score at six.
Brookings regained the lead in the fifth on a bases loaded walk, but the Irish took the lead right back a half inning later to lead 8-7 and would extend the lead to 9-7 in the seventh.
Brookings finally took the lead for good in the bottom of the seventh. Craig Lasley led off the inning with a walk and moved to second on Koenig’s second hit of the game. Both would score off the bat of McDaniel who singled and moved up to second on a throwing error.
Fish again drew a walk before a McMacken double scored McDaniel, and then both McMacken and Fish would score on Kreutner’s two-run triple to give the Cubs a 12-9 edge and extend it to 13-9 after Evan Miller reached on a misplayed grounder which allowed Kreutner to score.
Milroy would add two in the ninth off Lasley who was working his fourth inning but a strikeout would put an end to the Irish rally.
McMacken finished 3-of-6 for the game with the homer and two doubles. He drove in four runs.
McDaniel had two hits including a double and drove in two while Koenig also had two hits and scored two runs.
Kreutner’s two-run triple accounted for his lone hit. He also earned a no-decision after throwing the first three innings and scattering three hits and allowing a single earned run, walking none and striking out five. Kreutner, however, hit four batters in his time on the mound.
Mason Bebensee worked the fourth and fifth inning and allowed five runs (two earned), giving up two hits, walking two, and striking out one.
Lasley picked up the win in relief. He gave up six hits and allowed five runs (three earned) in four innings. He did not walk a batter, hit two, and struck out five.
Sunday
• Brookings 7, Castlewood 0
Five Brookings pitchers combined to allow just three hits in earning a 7-0 win over the visiting Monarchs.
Brookings opened the scoring with two runs in the bottom of the first inning but would not score again until the sixth. McDaniel and Cole Mahlum each singled and after Fish walked, Kenny Negron slapped a single to center to score McDaniel and Mahlum to give Brookings a 2-0 lead.
Both squads would trade zeroes until the bottom of the sixth.
Miller was hit by a pitch and after moving to second on a wild pitch would come around to score when McDaniel hit a roller to second which went straight under the second baseman’s glove and between his legs into right-center field.
Mahlum walked and Fish was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Negron again came through with a hit to score two and give the Cubs a 5-0 lead. McMacken’s double down the right field line allowed Fish to score and up the lead to 6-0.
The Cubs added a single run in the seventh when McMacken scored from third on Burgos’ fielder’s choice to account for the final 7-0 margin.
Carlos Rodriguez pitched well in his second outing of the season. He gave up just one hit in four innings, walked three, and struck out three, but could not factor in the win after being removed after four innings.
Andrew Polly earned the win after relieving Rodriguez. In two innings of work he did not allow a hit, walked one, and struck out four.
Bebensee (IP, H, BB, K), Negron (IP, H, BB), and Lasley (IP, BB, K) pitched the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings, respectively.
Negron had four runs batted in on his two singles. McDaniel and Mahlum also had two hits each.
Brookings (3-0) was scheduled to play at Baltic on Tuesday but the game will not be played that night. A makeup date has not been determined.
The Cubs’ next scheduled game is not until June 2 when the Volga Cormorants come to Bob Shelden Field.
Brookings will then play host to the Cubs Invitational June 3-5, welcoming seven other teams to Bob Shelden Field to compete for the tournament title.
