BROOKINGS – After winning Thursday’s semifinal game of the 14U North Region Baseball Tournament to clinch berth in next week’s state tournament, the Bombers Black dropped two games on Friday to finish as the No. 3 seed.
Brookings fell 14-7 to Mitchell in the Region championship game, and then dropped a 9-6 decision to Huron in the third-place game to finish the regular season with a 32-8 mark.
Championship
• Mitchell 14, Brookings 7
Mitchell scored three runs in the top of the first inning, and although the Bombers Black got within a run through two innings, another big inning was too much for Brookings to overcome as Mitchell claimed the Region 1A title – and top seed in the state tournament – with a 14-7 win.
The visitors on the scoreboard tallied seven runs in the third frame before tacking on single runs in the fourth and sixth, and then adding two insurance runs in the seventh.
The Bombers finished with 10 hits to Mitchell’s 11, but five Brookings errors led to eight unearned runs as Lincoln Hardin suffered the loss.
Hardin gave up nine runs – two earned – on five hits and two walks with two strikeouts in two innings of work.
Josh Devine tossed the third and fourth innings, giving up two earned runs on two hits and three walks with two Ks, while Ashton Witte finished up and allowed three runs – two earned – on four hits and two walks with one strikeout over the last three frames.
Witte and Hardin had three hits apiece as Talon Richter added two. Caden Krogman drove in two runs with a double while Payton Theodosopoulos had the other hit.
MITCHELL 14, BROOKINGS 7
Mitchell 307 101 2 – 14 11 3
Brookings 113 200 0 – 7 10 5
Jonah Schmidt, Jake Helleloid (4) and Riley McGinnis; Lincoln Hardin, Josh Devine (3), Ashton Witte (5) and Sam Hardin. W – Schmidt. L – Hardin. 2B: M, Riley McGinnis, Seth Muth, Jonah Schmidt; B, Caden Krogman. 3B: M, Jackson Ebert.
Third place
• Huron 9, Brookings 6
Trailing 6-4 heading into the fifth inning, Huron rallied with five runs and then held the Bombers scoreless the rest of the way to earn the second seed in next week’s state tournament.
Huron plated single runs in the first and second innings as the Bombers answered with two in the bottom of first and third for a 4-2 advantage through three.
The visitors on the scoreboard tied the game with two in the fourth, but Brookings responded with two runs of its own before the fateful fifth.
Hardin led the offense with two doubles and two RBIs, while Jake Ammann drove in one run in the first inning with a double and Richter helped his cause with a first-inning RBI single.
Isac Norgaard finished with two hits as Krogman added a double.
Richter was saddled with the loss after giving up four runs – one earned – on five hits and six walks with one strikeout in four innings.
Kaden Jewett was charged with three earned runs as he walked three in relief in the fifth inning.
Krogman allowed two earned runs on three hits and a walk with three strikeouts in one inning of relief before Trey Svennes tossed the last two scoreless innings – giving up one hit and walking one while striking out four.
HURON 9, BROOKINGS 6
Huron 110 250 0 – 9 9 0
Brookings 202 200 0 – 6 9 3
Huron battery unavailable; Talon Richter, Kaden Jewett (5), Caden Krogman (5), Trey Svennes (6) and Sam Hardin. L – Richter. 2B: B, Lincoln Hardin (2), Jake Ammann, Caden Krogman.
