BROOKINGS — The Sioux Falls Roosevelt Rough Riders scored three times in the top of the seventh inning as they defeated the Brookings Bobcats in the first game of a best-of-three SDHSBA Regional Series 3-1 at Bob Shelden Field on Friday night.

The loss puts the Bobcats in a must-win situation for the second game of the series, which is set for 1 p.m. at Bob Shelden Field on Saturday afternoon. If the Bobcats win they’ll play the Rough Riders again 30 minutes after the conclusion of Game 2 with a trip to the State Tournament on the line in Game 3.

The first game of the series was a pitching duel as Owen Schneider and Roosevelt’s Jacob Mongar exchanged zeros in the opening innings.

The Bobcats went down in order in each of the first two innings before Roosevelt put together a threat with back-to-back singles by Lawsen Hensley and Tucker DeHaan in the top of the third. With two men on, David Brink made a diving stop on a line drive off the bat of Jaxsen Grevengoed’s bat for the first out and Schneider struck out Mongar and got Jaxon DeHaan to ground out to get out of the inning.

It was part of a solid start for Schneider, who allowed two hits and two walks with five strikeouts over 5.1 innings but the Bobcats left several runs on the basepaths.

The Bobcats mounted their first threat in the bottom of the fourth with back-to-back walks by Tate Helmbolt and Schneider and both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch to put runners on second and third base with nobody out. Addison Ronning grounded out to Noah Verdoorn a few pitches later, however, and Helmbolt was tagged out trying to score on a fielder’s choice.

With Schneider still on second base, he advanced to third base on a passed ball but rounded third and attempted to score, getting tagged out for the second out of the inning. Brink grounded out to end the fourth and Brookings wouldn’t mount another threat until the bottom of the sixth.

Antonen reached on a leadoff error and Nolan Miles grounded into a fielder’s choice in the next at-bat before Helmbolt reached on a single and Schneider drew a walk to load the bases with one out.

Ronning cashed in with a single that drove Miles in for the first run of the game but Brink lined into a double play in the next at-bat when Logan Edwards caught the ball off his bat at first base and doubled up Schneider at second base.

Miles attempted to close the game in the top of the seventh inning but issued a leadoff walk to Tyson Albertsen. Verdoorn sacrificed Albertson to second base with a bunt before Hensley singled and advanced to second base on the throw to put runners on second and third with one out before Tucker DeHaan tied the game with a sacrifice fly that allowed Albertsen to score and Hensley to advance to third base.

Miles’s day on the mound came to an end when he hit Grevengoed with a pitch to put runners on the corners and Mongar reached and advanced to second base on an error by Brink that allowed Hensley to score and Grevengoed to advance to third base. Jaxon DeHaan singled dove in Grevengoed for an insurance run and the Bobcats headed to the bottom of the seventh inning down 3-1. 

Tane Friedrich led off the seventh with a walk and advanced to third when Jack Merritt reached on a two-base error. But with two runners in scoring position and nobody out Hensley buckled down striking out Clark and Antonen before getting pinch hitter Jase Bauer to ground out to end the game.

Helmbolt recorded two outs to finish the sixth inning for Brookings before Miles allowed three runs (two earned) on one hit and a walk. Clark allowed one hit before getting the final out in the seventh inning.

Helmbolt went 1-for-2 with a walk. Ronning went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Merritt went 1-for-3 with a double and Friedrich had a stolen base.