Tea Steam punches ticket to State

After dropping their District Tournament opener, the Tea Steam bounced back in dramatic fashion, winning two straight games to clinch a spot in the Class A State Amateur Baseball Tournament.

Tea opened District play on Thursday, July 31, at Ronken Field on the Augustana University campus in Sioux Falls, falling 12–2 to the Sioux Falls Flying Squirrels. Sioux Falls jumped out to an early lead and Tea fell 2-12 in the first-round match-up. However, their state hopes remained alive. 

The Steam returned to action on Saturday, Aug. 2. In their first game of the day, Tea dominated the Brandon Belugas with a 12-2 victory. Later that evening, they earned a chance at redemption in a rematch against the Flying Squirrels — and delivered. The team claimed a 7-3 win, clinching their place in the State Tournament.

Tea will open their State Tournament run on Saturday, Aug. 9, facing the Rapid City Diamondbacks at 7:30 p.m. at Fossum Field in Aberdeen.

In their District Tournament opener on Thursday, July 31, Tea fell 12-2 to a dominant Sioux Falls Flying Squirrels squad. 

Sioux Falls wasted no time putting pressure on Tea’s defense, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning and building momentum that never let up. The Flying Squirrels continued to tack on runs throughout the game, scoring in five of their six offensive frames, ultimately securing a run-rule victory by the seventh inning.

Tea showed flashes of offense, pushing across a run in both the second and fourth innings. In the second, Austin Portner was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and back-to-back singles by Troy Ljunggren and Cameron Jensen loaded the bases. Jerod Cyrus then worked a patient at-bat to draw a walk, bringing in Tea’s first run of the game.

Tea struck again in the fourth when Ljunggren led off with a double and came around to score on a hard-hit single by Cyrus, trimming the deficit to 7-2. Unfortunately, that would be all the offense the Steam could muster.

Tea’s bats were stifled by the Sioux Falls pitcher who threw a complete game and recorded an impressive 14 strikeouts.

Ljunggren went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored for the Steam and Cyrus went 1-for-2 with two RBIs. 

After their tough loss in their District opener, the Tea Steam bounced back in commanding fashion on Saturday, Aug. 2, defeating the Brandon Belugas 12-2. The dominant performance kept Tea’s postseason hopes alive and set the tone for their rematch against the Flying Squirrels later that evening.

Brandon struck first in the top of the first inning, scoring two early runs on a sacrifice fly and a double. But it didn’t take long for the Steam’s offense to heat up — and once it did, it never let up.

Tea exploded for eight runs in the bottom of the second inning, capitalizing on timely hitting, walks, hit batters, and defensive miscues by the Belugas. Ljunggren, Cyrus, and Jensen all reached safely to begin the frame, and RBI hits by Trey Heckenlaible and Logan Boom quickly turned the tide. 

Dawson Portner was hit by a pitch to bring in another run, and Ben Loos delivered the knockout blow with a three-RBI double that was aided by an error at the plate.

Cyrus wasn’t done, though — in the fourth inning, he crushed a three-run homer to center field, scoring two to stretch Tea’s lead to 11-2. Loos added another RBI double in the fifth to make it 12-2, putting the Steam in position for the run-rule victory.

On the mound, Jensen, Cole McKinney, and Cyrus combined to keep Brandon’s offense in check. Jensen set the tone early with key strikeouts, while McKinney and Cyrus each struck out multiple batters to finish the job. The Belugas managed just five hits and struck out nine times.

Cyrus went 2-for-4 including the three-run homer, and had four RBIs. Loos went 2-for-3, hitting two doubles and recording 3 RBIs. Boom went 2-for-4 at the plate, with a double. Ljunggren was 2-for-2 and Jensen was 2-for-3. 

With the win, Tea advanced to face the Sioux Falls Flying Squirrels in a rematch later that night — and made the most of it, winning 7-3 to punch their ticket to the Class A State Amateur Baseball Tournament.

Down 2–1 heading into the top of the seventh, Tea’s bats came alive just in time against the Squirrels. Michael Buchmann sparked the rally with a single, and Portner tied the game with a deep RBI double to left. Moments later, Loos followed with a double of his own, giving Tea a 3–2 lead — their first of the game.

But the Steam weren’t finished.

In the top of the ninth, Tea exploded for four more runs to put the game out of reach. With the game tied 3–3 after a Squirrels sac fly in the bottom of the seventh, Tea responded with a single by  Boom and a walk to Sam Kampschoff, setting the table. Portner again came through in the clutch, smacking another two-run double to right field. Ljunggren and Cyrus added RBI singles to cap the scoring at 7–3.

Jensen was stellar on the mound, battling through early hit batters and defensive errors to keep Tea in the game. He tallied seven strikeouts over six innings and allowed just one earned run. Heckenlaible came on in relief and closed the door, pitching the final two innings and striking out two. 

D. Portner had two hits in the game and three RBIs. Cyrus and Boom each had three hits in the game. Loos and Jensen each had two.

The Class A State Amateur Baseball tournament will get underway on this Friday, Aug. 8 in Aberdeen and the second weekend of play involving the last six teams remaining will be played in Brandon and Valley Springs, with the championship set for noon on Aug. 17. The Class A tournament is double-elimination until the championship round, where it is winner-take-all.

The first-round Class A matchups include the Brookings Cubs against Yankton Lakers and Renner Monarchs against Black Hills A’s on Friday, Aug. 8, as well as the Harrisburg Woodies against Aberdeen Circus and Rapid City Diamondbacks against Tea Steam on Saturday, Aug. 9.

Class A state amateur baseball tournament

Aug. 8-10 at Fossum Field in Aberdeen

Opening rounds

Friday, Aug. 8

G1: Brookings Cubs vs. Yankton Lakers, 5:30 p.m.

G2: Renner Monarchs vs. Black Hills A’s, 8 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 9

G3: G1 loser vs. G2 loser, 11 a.m. (Loser eliminated)

G4: G1 winner vs. G2 winner, 1:30 p.m. (Both teams advance)

G5: Harrisburg Woodies vs. Aberdeen Circus, 5 p.m.

G6: Rapid City Diamondbacks vs. Tea Steam, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 10

G7: G5 loser vs. G6 loser, 11 a.m. (Loser eliminated)

G8: G5 winner vs. G6 winner, 1:30 p.m. (Both teams advance)