Kernels lock up home playoff bid despite being swept by Pierre in regular-season finale

May 18—PIERRE — With a chance to lock up the No. 3 seed and host privileges in the upcoming Class A playoffs with a pair of road wins, the Mitchell High School baseball team's bats fell uncharacteristically quiet on Tuesday night at Hyde Stadium.

Mitchell managed just a single run in both games of a doubleheader at Pierre — the first two times all season the Kernels were limited to fewer than three runs — as the Governors took both contests, 2-1 and 6-1.

"If you'd have told us that we were going to go to Pierre and play 14 innings and only score two runs, I wouldn't have believed that," Mitchell coach Luke Norden said. "We pitched really well, we just didn't capitalize on some opportunities to get baserunners advanced and in to score when we had the chance. ... It's nothing that's not fixable, we just did not play very well offensively."

Tuesday marked the third time the Kernels were swept in a doubleheader, joining on the road at Brandon Valley (April 22) and at home against Harrisburg (May 7). In contests against all other opponents, Mitchell is 15-1.

In Game 1 of the series, Pierre and Mitchell each posted one run in the fifth inning, but it was an early Governor score — an unearned run in the first — that wound up as the deciding margin.

Jonah Schmidt got the start on the mound and tossed four innings, striking out eight batters while giving up four hits and one walk. Peyton Mandel pitched two innings in relief with one strikeout to two hits and no walks and was credited with the loss.

Mandel and Mason Geraets each accounted for two hits, though Mitchell had just six as a team. Seth Muth had one of the other two hits, a triple that led to Muth scoring the lone Kernel run of the contest.

Pierre starter Brady Getz went three innings with six strikeouts and two walks before being relieved by Jackson Edman, who picked up the win after four innings of work with one strikeout to four hits.

The Governors had six different players record their six hits, including 2021 all-state player Lincoln Kienholz, who scored one of Pierre's two runs.

Game 2 saw both teams score one early run — Pierre in the bottom of the first inning and Mitchell in the top of the second — but the Kernels would not score again. Instead, the Governors added one run in both the fourth and sixth innings, sandwiching a three-run fifth.

The Kernels' greatest scoring threat after the second-inning run came in the top of the third, when Mitchell loaded the bases with no outs, but saw three straight popouts to the middle infielders end the inning with no runs scored.

Five Kernels knocked a single hit in Game 2, with Muth, Schmidt and Karter Sibson each reaching base at least once more after drawing a walk.

Gavin Soukup started his first game of the season, striking out four while surrendering three hits and one walk, but was given the loss. Peyton Schroder and Dylan Soulek each pitched one inning in relief, with Soulek striking out a pair of batters in his appearance.

Jayden Wiebe and Jonny Lyons each had multiple hits for Pierre in the second game, as seven Govs recorded a hit. Kienholz had two RBIs on an inside-the-park home run in the fifth inning.

Christian Busch got the start, though Spencer Easland and Wiebe also pitched at least two full innings and faced at least nine batters. The trio combined to strike out seven while allowing five hits and four walks, with Easland picking up the win.

Entering Tuesday night's action, Mitchell was third in the Class A standings, while Pierre was ninth. With Tuesday's sweep, Mitchell (15-7) fell behind Brookings (17-7) for the No. 3 seed in Class A, but still earned the right to host one of the four regional play-ins come Saturday afternoon with the No. 4 seed.

"I looked at [the seed-point standings] going into Tuesday," Norden said. "But I didn't worry about putting pencil to paper or anything to figure out if we lost both if we'd still be hosting."

No. 4 Mitchell and No. 13 Sioux Falls Jefferson (6-18) will play the first game at noon Saturday. Jefferson already visited Cadwell Park once this season, when the Kernels edged the Cavaliers, 6-4 and 6-5, to sweep a doubleheader.

The second contest will feature No. 5 Harrisburg (14-10) — the defending Class A champions — and No. 12 Sturgis (11-9) at approximately 2 p.m. The two winners will then play at approximately 4:30 p.m. for one of the four places in the state tournament on May 28.

"I really like the chance that we have and I really like the pool of teams that's here, too," Norden said. "Now, we go from there."

Here are the sites and opening-round pairings for the Class A regionals:

Sioux Falls

No. 1 Sioux Falls Roosevelt (17-1) vs. BYE

No. 8 Pierre (14-12) vs. No. 9 Yankton (12-10)

Mitchell

No. 4 Mitchell (15-7) vs. No. 13 Sioux Falls Jefferson (6-18)

No. 5 Harrisburg (14-10) vs. No. 12 Sturgis (11-9)

Brandon

No. 2 Brandon Valley (13-3) vs. No. 15 Rapid City Central (4-17)

No. 7 Sioux Falls Lincoln (9-9) vs. No. 10 Rapid City Stevens (9-14)

Brookings

No. 3 Brookings (17-7) vs. No. 14 Huron (6-11)

No. 6 Sioux Falls Washington (10-10) vs. No. 11 O'Gorman (7-13)