WATERTOWN — The Brookings Bandits earned a split as they rebounded from a tough 10-9 loss in Game 1 to earn a split with a 9-1 victory in the second game during a doubleheader with Watertown on Wednesday night.

The Bandits are now 22-19  on the season and will host a doubleheader at Bob Shelden Field against Brandon Valley on Friday at 5 p.m.

Game 1: Watertown 10, Brookings 9

The Bandits went into the seventh inning with a 9-5 lead but Watertown scored five runs including a walk-off grand slam by Marcus Rabine to earn the win in the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader.

Brookings took an early lead when Breck Hirrschoff’s one-out triple turned into an RBI double by Owen Schneider in the top of the first inning. The Bandits doubled their lead on Zach Struck’s RBI single in the following at-bat but Watertown tied the game at 2-2 with an RBI single by Nash Berg and a sacrifice fly by Nathan Briggs in the bottom of the first inning.

David Brink and Jack Merritt reached on back-to-back errors in the top of the second inning and Sam Johnson put the Bandits back on top with an RBI ground out. Hirrschoff drove in a run with a single to give Brookings a 4-2 lead in the top of the second inning but Watertown came back again in the bottom of the second with an RBI triple by Mitch Olson and and an RBI single by Kaden Rylance to tie the game at 4-4.

The Bandits gained some separation beginning with a two-run third inning. Struck led off with a wild before Miles singled and Addison Ronning was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Brink drew a bases-loaded walk to give Brookings the lead and Merritt delivered a sacrifice fly to give Brookings a 6-4 lead.

Treyton Himmerich recorded an RBI single in the bottom of the third inning to cut the lead to 6-5 but Brookings added to the league with an RBI single by Ronning in the top of the fourth inning.

Schneider tripled in the top of the sixth inning and was driven in on an RBI single by Struck and the Bandits got a run on an error to take a 9-5 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning.

But Briggs led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk and a single by Markus Pitkin and a hit-by-pitch to Himmrich loaded the bases.

Hirrschoff got Rawdon to strike out for the second out of the inning but Hayden Ries drove in a run with a single to cut the lead to 9-6 before Rabine’s grand slam completed the comeback.

Austin Clark started for Brookings, allowing five runs (three earned) on nine hits and three walks with two strikeouts over six innings. Hirrschoff allowed five earned runs on three hits and a walk with a strikeout over 0.2 innings.

Brookings had 10 hits in the game including a 4-for-5 performance by Hirrschoff. Hirrschoff also had a triple, two stolen bases, two runs scored and an RBI.

Schneider went 2-for-5 with a double, a triple, two runs scored and an RBI. Struck went 2-for-2 with two walks, a run scored and two RBI.

Ronning went 1-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI. Miles went 1-for-4 with a run scored.

Game 2: Brookings 9, Watertown 1

Struck allowed one earned run and struck out eight batters in a complete game victory for the Bandits in the second game of the doubleheader.

The Bandits opened the scoring in the top of the third inning after Jon Kahler reached on an error and Johnson singled. Helmbolt drove in Kahler with a single and Hirrschoff followed up with another single before Schneider drove in a run with a single to put Brookings up 2-0.

Struck drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the following at bat and Hirrschoff scored on a passed ball later in the third inning to give the Bandits a 4-0 lead.

Brookings scored another run in a two-out rally that began in the fourth inning. Helmbolt walked, Hirrschoff singled and Schneider drove in a run with a single to make it a 5-0 game.

The Bandits added another run in the top of the fifth inning when Tyson Antonen hit a one-out single, advanced to second base and scored on Kahler’s RBI single in the top of the fifth inning but Brookings put the finishing touches in the top of the seventh inning.

The Bandits leaded the bases using a walk by Antonen, a Watertown error and a single by Kahler. Johnson drove in the first run with a bases-loaded walk before the Bandits added another run on an error and a sacrifice fly by Hirrschoff.

That was enough for Struck, who allowed a run on a Rabine single in the bottom of the seventh inning but allowed five hits and five walks on his way to the victory.

Brookings tallied 12 hits in the nightcap including a 3-for-4 performance by Hirrschoff. Hirrschoff also scored a run and had an RBI.

Struck went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Kahler went 2-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and an RBI. Schneider went 2-for-5 with two RBI. Helmbolt went 1-for-4 with a walk, two runs scored and two RBI. Antonen went 1-for-2 with two walks and two runs scored. Kahler went 2-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and an RBI.