Cubs come up short in Class A amateur baseball title game

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MITCHELL – The Brookings Cubs were nine outs away from ending a state championship drought that dates back to 2002 when Brookings won six titles in seven years.

However, a stretch of 11 pitches in the bottom of the seventh inning saw the Sioux Falls Flying Squirrels go from trailing 3 to 1 to leading 4 to 3, and Sioux Falls would hang on to win by that score for their first Class “A” state championship in their first ever appearance in the title game.

Needing to win four games in three days after finishing the first weekend of the state tournament with a 1-1 record, Brookings nearly pulled the trick after doing the same in 2020, however the final result on championship Sunday was the same.

Friday

 Brookings 8, Aberdeen Circus Sports Bar 4

The Cubs used the long ball to double up Aberdeen in Friday’s second elimination game, which followed the Black Hills A’s knocking off the Sioux Falls Hops 12-10.

After a scoreless first inning for both teams Brookings got on the scoreboard first in the top of the second inning when Austin Koenig got to trot home after clearing the fence in left field to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead.

Starter Jake Ammann worked out of trouble in the bottom of the inning, leaving the bases loaded and Brookings still leading.

In the third, Jared Tschetter drew a one-out walk but would be tagged out at third after a single from Chase McDaniel. Sam McMacken would double the Cubs’ lead to 2-0 with a two-out base hit that scored McDaniel. Jeff Fish then doubled to move McMacken to third but a ground out would end the inning with Brookings again left a runner in scoring position.

Ammann again kept Aberdeen off the board in the third, then on the first pitch of the fourth inning JaColby Anderson deposited another ball beyond the fence in left field to extend the Brookings lead to 3-0.

Aberdeen again put runners on in the bottom of the fourth inning and this time around they would make Ammann pay for a pair of walks as Brandon Kusler doubled to score Chad Ellingson and Christian Cox to trim the Cubs’ lead to 3-2.

A three up and three down inning brought Aberdeen back to the plate and a lead off walk to Dalton Cox, followed by a single from Tyler Oliver set the table for Ryan Ellingson whose single scored Dalton Cox to knot the game at three, chasing Ammann in favor of Anderson who would eventually strand the bases loaded.

Brookings would waste a one-out double from Koenig in the sixth, however, Aberdeen didn’t waste their opportunity in the home half of the inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, a passed ball allowed Michael Babcock to score and give Aberdeen a 4-3 lead, but Anderson would again work out of trouble.

The Cubs got the bats going again in the top of the seventh with a two-out rally. Tschetter singled and would score one pitch later after McDaniel pulverized a pitch to center field to give back the lead to Brookings at 5-4.

The lead grew to 6-4 in the eighth on Jackson Krogman’s run scoring single which brought home Fish, and in the ninth the Tschetter-McDaniel tandem again struck. Tschetter walked with one out and McDaniel lofted his second homer of the game to left field to give the Cubs an 8-4 lead.

Anderson worked a clean ninth inning to preserve the win and send the Cubs to a Saturday match up against Black Hills.

McDaniel had three hits including his two homers and finished with four RBI. Koenig and Noel Burgos each had two hits.

Anderson got the win in relief with five innings of one-unearned run baseball, scattering four hits, walking one, and striking out two. Ammann got a no-decision after allowing three earned runs on seven hits with four walks and two strikeouts.

Kusler had three hits and two RBI for Aberdeen, while Babcock and Ryan Ellingson each had two hits.

Chad Ellingson took the loss in relief of starter Joey Wollman as Chad Ellingson allowed five earned runs in four innings, picking up four strikeouts against three walks.

Saturday

 Brookings 3, Black Hills 1

A dominating outing by Bandits’ legion player Nathan Lease propelled Brookings into Saturday’s second semifinal game.

Lease worked a quick first inning on just nine pitches, then got run support right away in the bottom of the inning. Tyler Kreutner led off the inning with a base hit and would steal second before McDaniel cleared the center fielder’s head for a triple that scored Kreutner. McDaniel would also score on the play, a result of a bobbled ball near the warning track in the deepest part of Cadwell Park.

Black Hills got on the board in the top of the third inning. Owen Cass led off with a single and moved to second on a ground out. Two pitches later, Dylan Gillespie’s single scored Cass to cut the Cubs’ lead to 2-1.

That score remained intact until the bottom of the sixth inning. Krogman led off the inning with a single and scored one pitch later on Kreutner’s double that gave Brookings a 3-1 lead, more than enough for Lease who worked all the way into the ninth inning before having to be removed for American Legion pitch count rules.

Anderson would come in for his second appearance of the weekend, and after giving up a single to Gillespie, struck out Adam Deneke and got Cody Schulze to fly out to end the game.

Lease scattered nine hits in eight and a third innings in earning the win, allowing one earned run, walking two, and striking out two. Anderson picked up the save.

 Brookings 3, Renner 0

Just one week after losing to Renner 11-0 in the first weekend of the state tournament, Brookings got revenge on the Monarchs as pitcher Craig Lasley held a strong-hitting and Augustana Vikings-filled Renner lineup to just five hits in a complete game effort. Lasley did not issue a walk and struck out five.

The Cubs took a lead right away in the top of the first inning. Kreutner led off the game by wearing a pitch from Monarchs’ starter Ryan Hander, and after Hander picked up a pair of outs on grounders that moved Kreutner to third base, McMacken’s single brought him home to give Brookings a 1-0 lead.

The lead doubled in the second inning. Anderson singled with one out, Evan Miller walked, and after a strikeout of Krogman for the second out of the inning, Kreutner’s single loaded the bases for Tschetter who also delivered a single that scored Anderson to make it 2-0 Cubs.

Renner’s best chance to score came in the fifth inning. Ben Ihrke tripled to center field and was being waved home, but a relay from Tschetter to McDaniel to Koenig at home plate nailed Ihrke with four steps to spare, keeping the Monarchs off the board and providing a big boost to Brookings.

The Cubs would threaten to add to their lead in the top of the sixth inning as Fish and Anderson singled and Krogman was hit by a pitch to load the bases, but Kreutner was caught looking on strike three to end the inning.

In the eighth inning, however, Brookings would not be denied an insurance run. Fish led off the inning with a ground-rule double, and after Koenig singled to move Fish to third, Miller’s single to right field scored Fish to give the Cubs a 3-0 lead.

The Monarchs nearly got back into the game with one swing in the eighth inning, however. Kyle Gulbrandson singled with two outs and Mitch Stroh was hit by a pitch, bringing to the plate David Borchardt who, while the Cubs were hosting Renner during the regular season, deposited a ball on the back side of the berm in right field at Bob Shelden Field, and nearly homered again off Lasley. Fish, however, tracked the ball down on the warning track to keep Renner scoreless.

Brookings would go quietly in the ninth inning and with the Monarchs down to three outs to work with, Lasley needed just nine pitches to close the game and eliminate the defending state champions.

Lasley allowed just five hits over nine innings and struck out five batters. He did not issue a walk to a Monarchs’ batter but did hit three.

Fish and Anderson each had two hits for the Cubs while McMacken and Tschetter both had one hit and one RBI each.

Ihrke had two of Renner’s five hits.

Hander took the loss as he allowed two earned runs in six innings, allowing seven hits, walking two, and striking out eight. Josh Baumgart pitched the final three innings and allowed one earned run on three hits with one strikeout.

Sunday

 SF Squirrels 4, Brookings 3

Meeting for the third time this season, Brookings and Sioux Falls had split their previous two match ups.

The Cubs won 12-10 on June 12 at home, while the Flying Squirrels scored an 8-1 win one month later on July 12.

After a scoreless first inning of the championship game Brookings got the bats going in the second inning.

McMacken was hit by a pitch to start the inning and would be forced at second on Koenig’s fielder’s choice. Anderson then walked, moving Justin Cofell, courtesy-running for the catcher Koenig, to second. Cofell would score one pitch later when Burgos doubled to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead. Krogman was then hit by a pitch by Squirrels’ starter Stuart Baruth, and Kreutner made him pay with a two-run single that scored Anderson and Burgos to extend the Brookings lead to 3-0. Krogman was tagged out at home on the play to end the inning.

Kreutner, starting his first game on the mound in a month, kept Sioux Falls at bay until the sixth inning.

Lucas Wilber opened the inning with a base hit and would move to third on a botched double-play attempt that allowed Connor Hurley to safely reach. Trevor Hurley’s sacrifice fly scored Wilber to get Sioux Falls on the scoreboard but still trailing 3-1 as the game entered the bottom of the seventh inning.

Damon Baruth started the inning with a single and another Cubs’ defensive lapse on a sacrifice bunt allowed Sam Rall to reach. Zach Dibble then ripped a 2-2 pitch to the outfield for a double that scored two and tied the game at three, and two pitches later, Wilber’s single scored Dibble to give the Flying Squirrels the lead, chasing Kreutner in favor of Anderson who would get out of the inning with a double play.

Brookings had runners on base in the eighth inning as McMacken walked with one out off reliever Connor Hurley, and Koenig also drew a two-out walk. Anderson, however, would strike out looking to leave a tying run in scoring position.

A quick bottom of the eighth inning moved the championship game into the final inning with Brookings needing to find a run to extend the game.

Burgos walked to start the inning, but back-to-back fielders’ choices by Krogman and Kreutner left a runner on first with two outs. Tschetter singled to move Kreutner to second, and with arguably the Cubs’ best hitter at the plate, McDaniel crushed a line drive to left center field that looked like it had three bases written all over it. However, Wilber in center made a lunging catch for the third out, preserving the win for Sioux Falls and giving the Flying Squirrels their first state championship in their first appearance in the title game, while extending the Cubs’ drought without state championship hardware another year.

McDaniel and Burgos each had two hits for Brookings with Burgos logging the only extra base hit for the Cubs. Kreutner finished with a hit and two RBI while Burgos added the other RBI.

Wilber had three of the Squirrels’ seven hits and Dibble had two RBI.

Kreutner took the loss after allowing four runs (two earned) in six-plus innings, walking two and striking out one. Anderson pitched two innings of hitless relief.

Connor Hurley was the winning pitcher with three and two third innings of relief, giving up just one hit, walking four, and striking out three. He was named tournament MVP.

Brookings finishes the year 15-9 overall and as state runners-up for the second time in three years.

Tony Adams Hustle Award

Between semifinal games of the Saturday night Class “B” session, Kreutner was awarded the Tony Adams Hustle Award as selected by the commissioners of all districts of South Dakota Amateur Baseball. Kreutner is the second Cubs’ player to win the award in three years as Todd Standish was selected for the same honor in 2020.