Mitchell baseball sweeps Rapid City Stevens in regular season-ending doubleheader

May 10—MITCHELL — The Mitchell High School baseball team ended the regular season on a high note on Saturday at Drake Field.

After falling to Yankton twice in a Friday doubleheader, the Kernels returned home and finished the regular season with a doubleheader sweep over Rapid City Stevens, taking game one 1-0 and game two 6-4.

In the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, the Kernels claimed a low-scoring victory, thanks to a strong performance on the mound from Carter McCormick. He pitched five innings of two-hit ball while walking two and recording one strikeout. After exiting in the sixth, Parker Mandel shut things down with two no-hit innings.

Mitchell's lone run in the victory came in the fifth. After Bailor Kristensen reached on an error, Conor Mattke doubled to bring him home. It was one of two hits on the day for Mattke, who also finished with the lone run batted in.

Both teams got the bats going in the second game of the day and the Kernels won in comeback fashion. After falling behind 4-0 in the top of the third, the Kernels stormed back with four runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning to even things at 4-all. Mitchell took the lead in the fifth with two runs and never looked back.

Starting pitcher Jacob Ebert went five innings deep, allowing four hits and striking out three. However, all four runs given up by Ebert were unearned. Mattke, Mandel, Hudson Borgan and Mason Herman picked up an RBI each. Two of Mitchell's runs were unearned.

In the Kernels' doubleheader on Friday at Yankton, the Bucks dominated in both matchups, taking game one 10-2 and game two 8-1.

Yankton struck early in game one, bringing six runs across the plate in the first two innings. The Bucks added another three in the third and fourth, taking a 9-2 advantage after Mitchell scored two in the fourth as well. Yankton added its 10th run in the sixth. Borgan and Mandel each had an RBI.

The start of game two was much closer, with the teams tied at 1 after three innings, However, the Bucks scored three in the fourth to go up 4-1 and added another four runs in the sixth to put things away.

Mitchell finishes the regular season with a 16-9 mark and will await seeding for the Class A postseason. The Kernels begin their regional playoffs on Friday, May 16, in a three-game series.