Post 7 comes back to win regional opener

HURON —Huron’s Post 7 baseball team fell behind early, rallied for a lead, then gave it back and had to rally a second time en route to downing Brookings Post 74 8-7 Tuesday afternoon in the opening game of the Region 1A Legion Tournament at Memorial Park.
The win propelled Huron into a late-afternoon match with top-seeded Renner in the tourney semifinals.
Starting pitcher Parker DeJean surrendered a pair of runs in the first and two more in the fifth, while Post 74 set Huron down in order in the first three innings.
In the fourth, Rick Struble got on with a single, moved to second on Bryce Steffen’s single and both runners moved up when a balk was called on the Brookings pitcher. Stuble scored on a fly ball from DeJean to break the ice for Post 7.
Huron got another run back in the fifth as Walker Schiltz walked, was sacrified to second and then scored on a Jake Wehde single to make it 4-2.
Post 74 scored in the sixth, but in the seventh, Huron knotted the score. DeJean singled, Deion Waddle walked and Schiltz doubled to score DeJean and Waddle. Schiltz moved up on the play and scored on Wehde’s fly ball.

The rally continued in the seventh, as Rick Struble reached after being hit by a pitch. Steffen doubled and DeJean singled, scoring both runners.
In the eighth, Brookings rangled a walk, a hit-by-a-pitch another walk and a fly ball into a pair of runs to tie the score 7-7, before relief pitcher Chipper Shillingstad made a gem of a defensive play, running down a Post 74 runner and killing the rally.
In the ninth, Huron, which was the visiting team via its lower seed, got a single from Ty Lien, who advanced on a passed ball and came in to score on Waddle’s fly ball.
Shillingstad issued a walk in the ninth, but shut the door to seal the win for Post 7.
The magic didn’t continue for Post 7 in the semifinals, as top seeded Renner came away with a 15-0 win and a pass into the winner’s bracket, where they will face Aberdeen Smitty’s Post 24, which downed Watertown’s Post 17, 11-1, in a dazzling pitching performance. That game will take place at 1 p.m. this afternoon.
Huron will face Brooking again, at 4 p.m., in an elimination game. Post 74 survived to day two of the tournament with a 7-0 win over Watertown in the final game Tuesday night, which eliminated Watertown.
Championship action is set for Thursday at 1 p.m. at Memorial Park.

Photos:

Huron American Legion Post 7 right-hander Parker DeJean brings the heat Tuesday afternoon against Brookings in the opening round of the Region 1A Tournament at Memorial Park. DeJean was the starting pitcher for Huron and had a two-run single in the seventh to help Post 7 to an 8-7 win.

Next, Huron’s Matt Katz was called out on this play at home plate in the 8th inning Tuesday, during a Region 1A American Legion Tournament game at Memorial Park.

PHOTOS BY CURT NETTINGA/PLAINSMAN