Mitchell baseball falls twice in doubleheader against Rapid City Stevens
May 2—MITCHELL — The Mitchell Kernel baseball team dropped a pair of games against Rapid City Central on Thursday evening at Drake Field, falling 7-3 in the first game, and 8-2 in the second game.
Mitchell held the advantage for most of the opening game, but let it it slip away late. Leading 3-2 entering the seventh inning, Stevens strung together five runs to take control. The rally began with a walk and a single to knock Kernel starter Blake Brosz out of the game, then against reliever Peyton Mandel, the Raiders slapped a trio of RBI singles, scored on a bases-loaded hit by pitch and a sacrifice fly.
Brosz, who was responsible for the first two runs of the seventh inning, had a strong performance otherwise, pitching 6 1/3 innings, allowing six hits, four runs and striking out four, while holding Stevens scoreless for four innings.
Mitchell's offense delivered in the middle innings, as the Kernels opened the third inning with a hit by pitch and three walks to drive in Landen Soulek. Two at bats later, Peyton Mandel's flyout to center drove in Hudson Borgan to tie the game at 2. The third run came on a steal of home from Lincoln Bottum in the fourth.
The Kernels finished the game with four hits, coming from Parker Mandel, Mason Herman, Bottum and Gavin Jones. Borgan walked twice.
The Raiders ended the game with 10 hits, including one from Jackson Dial, who drove in a 2 RBI double in the second inning.
In the second game, Raider pitcher Mason Brooks struck out eight batters through five innings pitched, and the Kernels mustered only two hits against Stevens.
Kernel pitcher Mason Herman countered with 11 strikeouts in five innings, but he also allowed four hits and five walks, resulting in four allowed runs. Each of those runs came in the first two innings, including a three-run homer by Colten Morland to give Stevens a 4-0 lead in the second inning.
Offensively for Mitchell, Parker Mandel and Jones recorded the team's two hits off of Brooks, with Jones' single driving in Parker Mandel in the sixth inning. The other run came on a dropped third strike in the third inning, which sent home Borgan.
Stevens' offense posted four runs in the first two innings, and four runs in the final two innings to secure the win.
Mitchell is back in action at 6 p.m. Friday at Pierre.
