BROOKINGS – The Bandits swept Sioux Falls West in an entertaining Legion baseball doubleheader Tuesday night at Bob Shelden Field.
Daniel Messerli’s walkoff hit in the eighth inning lifted Brookings to a 4-3 win in Game 1.
Post 74 used a 12-run fifth frame to take the nightcap by a 17-13 margin.
The Bandits (6-3) are host to Aberdeen at 4 p.m. and Sioux Falls East at 8 p.m. today.
• Brookings 4, Sioux Falls West 3 (8 inn.)
Messerli delivered a walkoff single with no outs in the bottom of the eighth to lift the Bandits.
Tanner Shepardson led off the inning with a single and Trevor Berreth bunted his way aboard. Shepardson advanced to third on an error to set the stage for Messerli, who lined a 2-1 pitch to right field.
Messerli (two RBIs), Berreth (double), Tyler Kreutner and Jacob Schoon each totaled a pair of hits. Eight Bandits had at least one hit.
Berreth earned the pitching win in relief, allowing two runs on three hits with two strikeouts and a pair of walks in four innings. Messerli, the starter, gave up one run – unearned – on two hits and eight walks with three strikeouts over the first four frames.
Sioux Falls West loaded the bases in the first, second and fourth but managed to score just one run. The visitors stranded 13 runners in the game.
In the second, Aiden Thomas reached on an error and Parker Adamski and John Rogers walked to load the bases with one away. Karsten Grove’s sacrifice fly plated Thomas for the game’s first run.
Post 74’s Cole Mahlum reached on an error and moved to second on a passed ball in the bottom of the third. Kreutner’s bunt single put runners on the corners. Justin Devine’s groundball plated Mahlum to tie the score at 1-1.
Post 15 loaded the bases with none away in the top of the fourth, before Brookings used a line-drive double play and a strikeout to end the threat.
Rhett Zelinsky took advantage of another error in the fourth and Shepardson walked. Berreth laid down a bunt and West attempted to throw out Zelinsky at third; however, he was safe and the bases were loaded.
Messerli rolled an RBI single up the middle. Mahlum drove in Shepardson with a line drive to short, pushing the margin to 3-1.
Post 15 pulled even in the fifth.
Joe Lund, Thomas and Adamski recorded consecutive singles to cut the deficit in half. John Rogers’ fielder’s choice with one out plated Thomas to make it 3-all.
Five different West players had one hit. Grady Gulbranson drew four walks.
Dylan Ades took the loss on the mound after surrendering one run on five hits with a walk and a strikeout in one-plus inning. Starter Sam Nelson allowed three runs – one earned – on seven hits with two strikeouts and a walk in six innings.
BROOKINGS 4, SIOUX FALLS WEST 3 (8 inn.)
S.F. West 010 020 00 – 3 5 3
Brookings 001 200 01 – 4 12 2
Sam Nelson, Dylan Ades (7) and M Fiegen; Daniel Messerli, Trevor Berreth (5) and Cole Mahlum. W – Berreth. L – Ades. 2B: B, Berreth.
• Brookings 17, Sioux Falls West 13
The Bandits sent 17 batters to the plate in the 12-run fifth inning while turning a 13-5 deficit into a 17-13 advantage.
Schoon went 3-for-5 with a double and four RBIs. Zelinsky finished 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. Caden Wright drove in three runs. Kreutner and Cayden Jacobsma contributed two hits apiece.
Post 74 recorded six hits, was hit by pitches four times, drew three walks and took advantage of one error in the big frame.
Jacobsma singled, Kreutner was beaned and Devine walked to get it going. Schoon followed with a two-run double, before Parker Rykhus walked to reload the bases.
Zelinsky and Mediger were hit by pitches to force in Devine and Schoon. Rykhus scampered home on a wild pitch.
Wright came through with a two-run single with one out. Jacobsma reached on an error and Kreutner drew a base on balls.
Wright scored on a passed ball to knot the score at 13-13.
Schoon’s two-run single – his third and fourth RBIs of the inning – with two away put Brookings on top 15-13.
Rykhus and Zelinsky stepped up with back-to-back run-scoring two-baggers to push the margin to 17-13.
Mediger was then hit by a pitch, but a groundout ended the inning soon thereafter.
Jacobsma earned the win in relief after giving up four runs on four hits with one strikeout in two innings. Devine tossed two scoreless frames to close it out, striking out four batters and walking three.
Shepardson, the starter, gave up nine runs on eight hits and three walks with one strikeout in three innings.
Lund went 3-for-5 with a triple and five RBIs for Post 15.
The visitors put up six runs in the second inning.
Ethan Behrand drew a walk to force in Keaton Hartman, who earlier walked, to open the scoring. Lund and Matt Fiegen sandwiched two-run singles around Crow’s RBI double to make it 6-0.
In the bottom of the second, Jackson Krogman walked with one out and Jacobsma singled with two away. Kreutner’s RBI single got the Bandits on the board.
West added three runs in the third.
Mason Ohnstad, who went 2-for-3 with three runs scored, had an RBI double. Connor Rysavy, who was earlier hit by a pitch, scored on a wild pitch. Jordan Miller, who finished 2-for-4, added an RBI single to push the margin to 9-1.
Brookings scored again in the third.
With one out, Rykhus walked and Zelinsky singled. Krogman walked with two away to load the bases. Wright drew a base on balls to force in Rykhus.
The Bandits added four runs in the fourth.
Kreutner singled and Devine and Rykhus walked to load the bases with one out. Kreutner scored on a wild pitch. Zelinsky drove in a run with a single, before Christian Mediger was hit by a pitch. Krogman’s groundout plated Rykhus to cut the deficit to 9-5.
In the top of the fifth, Lund came through with a three-RBI triple and scored on Crow’s single on the very next pitch to put Sioux Falls West ahead 13-5. Crow went 2-for-5.
Gulbranson took the loss after surrendering five runs – zero earned – on four hits with a strikeout and a walk in two-thirds of an inning. Thomas, who entered to begin the fifth, gave up seven runs on two hits and a pair of walks while hitting three batters. He did not record an out.
Starter Ben Simonsen allowed five runs on seven hits and six walks with three strikeouts in four innings.
Adamski tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings to conclude the game, striking out one and walking one.
BROOKINGS 17, SIOUX FALLS WEST 13
S.F. West 063 040 0 – 13 12 1
Brookings 011 3(12)0 x – 17 13 1
Ben Simonsen, Aiden Thomas (5), Grady Gulbranson (5), Parker Adamski (5) and Ethan Behrand; Tanner Shepardson, Cayden Jacobsma (4), Justin Devine (6) and Devine, Jacob Schoon (6). W – Jacobsma. L – Gulbranson. 2B: SFW, Mason Crow, Mason Ohnstad; B, Parker Rykhus, Schoon, Rhett Zelinsky. 3B: SFW, Joe Lund.
