MITCHELL – Eighth-seeded Mitchell rallied past No. 9 Brookings 8-7 in Game 1 and then held on for a 7-6 victory in Game 2 to win a best-of-three South Dakota Class A Independent 19U Baseball Tournament regional series Tuesday at Cadwell Park.
Mitchell (23-21) advances to super regional play.
Brookings finished the year 20-17.
Game 1
• Mitchell 8, Brookings 7
The home squad pulled off a wild six-run rally in the final frame – capped by Koby Larson’s walkoff single with two away – to secure the series-opening victory.
Larson got things going with a one-out single. Austin Kerr followed with a hit and Brady Hawkins walked to load the bases and chase Bandit starter Rhett Zelinsky.
Jake Helleloid singled off reliever Jackson Krogman, driving in a pair and cutting the deficit to 7-4.
Joe VanOverschelde was hit by a pitch to reload the bases. Brady Brosz’s base on balls and Ryan McGinnis’ fielder’s choice plated Hawkins and Helleloid, respectively, leaving the score at 7-6.
Isaac Rew had a single to knot things up and Peyton Nash walked after that.
Larson worked a 3-2 count before lining a pitch to left field for the walkoff. Carson Fahey, who pinch ran for McGinnis, scored.
Josh Grosdidier worked a scoreless seventh to pick up the win. He allowed one hit. Starter Hunter Stahle gave up seven runs – three earned – on 11 hits with a pair of strikeouts in six innings.
Helleloid, Larson and Nash each had a pair of hits for Mitchell.
The Bandits struck first on their way to building a 7-2 advantage.
Krogman led off the game with a single but Jake Ammann hit into a fielder’s choice. Zelinsky singled.
Parker Rykhus hit a fly ball to right field and an error on the play allowed the two baserunners to score to get it going.
Max Kjelden had a one-out double and Krogman a two-out two-bagger in the second to push the margin to 3-0.
Mitchell put up a pair in the third.
Rew reached on an error, Nash singled and Larson walked to load them up.
Kerr reached on a fielder’s choice, driving in Rew. Hawkins’ sacrifice fly to left plated Nash.
Brookings quickly answered with four in the fourth.
Kjelden and Henry Hammrich singled.
Krogman bunted and reached on an error, which allowed Kjelden to sprint home.
Ammann had an RBI single and Krogman made it home on a balk.
The lead peaked at five runs following Jamison Honkomp’s sacrifice fly to center. Ammann scored.
Zelinsky was again a tough out at the plate – he went 3-for-4. Kjelden had two hits.
Zelinsky allowed five runs – four earned – on eight hits with two walks and a pair of strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings. Krogman surrendered three runs on three hits and two walks in one-third of an inning.
MITCHELL 8, BROOKINGS 7
Brookings 210 400 0 – 7 12 2
Mitchell 002 000 6 – 8 11 2
Rhett Zelinsky, Jackson Krogman (7) and Cole Mahlum; Hunter Stahle, Josh Grosdidier (7) and Joe VanOverschelde. W – Grosdidier. L – Krogman. 2B: B, Max Kjelden, Krogman.
Game 2
• Mitchell 7, Brookings 6
Mitchell – the designated visitor in the second tilt – scored six runs in the fourth and then held off the Bandits.
Hawkins, who earned the win on the mound, got a big two-out rally going with a double. Stahler walked. Brosz and Colby Gillen followed with back-to-back run-scoring hits, with the latter later scoring on an error to make it 3-0.
Rew walked and Nash drove in a run with a single. After Larson reached on an error, Rew and Nash scampered home on another error to push the margin to 6-0.
In the bottom of the fourth, Zelinsky singled, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a one-out single by Rykhus.
The Bandits made things interesting after that, putting up a couple runs in the fifth.
Kjelden reached on an error and Hammrich walked. Krogman’s batted ball resulted in an error, which allowed Kjelden and Hammrich to score. Krogman was put out at second on the play.
Ammann singled and Honkomp had a two-out hit. Rykhus’ RBI single pulled Brookings within 6-4.
Mitchell got a much-needed insurance run in the top of the seventh as Kerr and Hawkins had two-out singles and the former made it home on an error to make it 7-4.
In the bottom of the inning, Krogman was hit by a pitch.
Zelinsky doubled with one away to chase Hawkins.
Honkomp followed with a two-run two-bagger that cut the deficit to 7-6.
Rykhus walked.
Messerli lined a ball to second, where Stahle snagged it and flipped to Larson, the shortstop, for a game-ending double play.
Hawkins, an SDSU commit, allowed six runs – three earned – on eight hits and three walks with a pair of strikeouts. Rew picked up the save.
Hawkins and Nash both tallied a pair of hits.
Rykhus was 3-for-3 with two RBIs for the Bandits. Honkomp and Zelinsky were both 2-for-4.
Ammann gave up six runs – four earned – on five hits and three walks with two strikeouts in 3 2/3. Messerli allowed one run – unearned – on two hits with a trio of Ks over the final 3 1/3.
MITCHELL 7, BROOKINGS 6
Mitchell 000 600 1 – 7 7 2
Brookings 000 130 2 – 6 9 3
Brady Hawkins, Isaac Rew (7) and Ryan McGinnis; Jake Ammann, Daniel Messerli (4) and Cole Mahlum. W – Hawkins. L – Ammann. Sv – Rew. 2B: M, Hawkins; B, Jamison Honkomp, Rhett Zelinsky.
