BROOKINGS – The Brookings Bobcats got back in the win column, defeating the Huron Tigers 11-1 at Bob Shelden Field on Thursday night.

The win helped the Bobcats improve to 9-8 on the season and get on track after dropping both games of a doubleheader against Sioux Falls Lincoln on Tuesday.

“I was just proud of our kids for the effort we brought tonight,” Brookings head coach Carter Roach said. “We had a good day of practice yesterday and I was really proud of how our guys bounced back and not letting the troubles we had on Tuesday carry over into tonight. We had really good energy and it was fun to watch.”

One of the biggest differences for the Bobcats could be seen at the plate. Brookings hasn’t been to hit outside in recent weeks due to the rain but the inclement weather held up long enough to help the Bobcats get out to the park on Wednesday.

“I think that’s big for the kids to see where the ball was going,” Roach said of Wednesday’s practice. “We talked about just having confidence at the plate and we showed that confidence tonight.”

The sense of familiarity paid off as Brookings scored a run in each of the first three innings against the Tigers. Nolan Miles led off the bottom of the first inning with a walk and Owen Schneider followed up with a one-out walk before Miles advanced to third base on a wild pitch and scored on a double steal.

Addison Ronning and Tyson Antonen led off the bottom of the second inning with back-to-back doubles before Ronning scored on a groundout by Sam Johnson to put Brookings up 2-0. Tate Helmbolt then led off the bottom of the third inning with a walk before scoring on David Brinks’ RBI double to put the Bobcats ahead 3-0.

Huron cut into the lead on J Pederson’s RBI double but the Bobcats got the run back after Helmbolt showed some excellent baserunning in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Helmbolt led off with a walk before stealing second base and advancing to third on a passed ball before scoring on an RBI single by Brink. Brink later advanced to second base on an errant pickoff attempt and scored on Ronnings’ RBI single to put Brookings ahead 5-1.

With the Tigers on the ropes, the Bobcats delivered the knockout blow in the bottom of the sixth inning. Johnson, Clark and Miles opened the inning with three straight singles before Helmbolt drew a walk to put Brookings up 6-1. Schneider drove in a run on a ground out and Brink delivered a sacrifice fly to make it an 8-1 game later in the inning and a two-out rally included an RBI single by Tane Friedrich, a double by Ronning and an RBI single to end the game.

Just as encouraging as the offensive performance in the opener was the performance by Breck Wilson on the mound. In just his third career varsity start, Wilson allowed just one earned run over six innings for the Bobcats, allowing four hits and a walk and struck out eight batters while throwing 52 of his 68 pitches for strikes.

“It was fun to watch a young guy take the ball like that,” Roach said of Wilson’s outing. “He was fantastic tonight and it’s even more fun knowing how much better he can get throughout the upcoming years. He did a fantastic job tonight.”

Ronning finished 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored. Brink finished 2-for-4 with three RBI, a run scored and a stolen base. Antonen went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI and Clark went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two stolen bases.

Miles went 1-for-2 with a walk, two runs scored and a stolen base. Friedrich went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored and Johnson finished 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Helmbolt also walked three times with three runs scored, a stolen base and an RBI.

With a win over the Tigers in the books, the Bobcats will turn their attention to four games this weekend. With Yankton coming out for a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. on Saturday and Tea visiting for a doubleheader at 12 p.m. on Sunday, Roach hopes his team’s success continues over a busy weekend.

“I told the guys it was a nice jumping board for the weekend,” Roach said. “We need to keep this play and this enthusiasm rolling into the weekend.”