Harrisburg tops Renner for second straight Class A state amateur baseball title

Aug. 16—MITCHELL — The Harrisburg Woodies had already learned the hard way what it took to beat Renner in the Class A amateur state tournament championship game. On Sunday afternoon, they proved they could do it again. Harrisburg defeated Renner 3-1 at Cadwell Park to claim its second consecutive Class A state amateur championship over the Monarchs in as many years. The championship is the second in Harrisburg club history, and it marks the first time since the Sioux Falls Brewers went back-to-back in 2019 and 2020 that a Class A team has repeated as state champions. The Woodies completed their championship season at 27-4. Sunday's championship game was the third consecutive season in which Harrisburg and Renner met for the Class A state title. Renner won the championship in 2024, before Harrisburg answered with a 4-3 victory over the Monarchs in last year's title game in Brandon. This time, the Woodies needed another win over their familiar opponent after falling to Renner earlier in the tournament. Renner sent Harrisburg into the elimination bracket Friday with a 6-1 victory. Rather than let the loss end their title hopes, the Woodies responded Saturday, defeating Tea 8-2 at Drake Field to earn another shot at the Monarchs. "Having better energy than the last time we played them was a must coming into this one," Harrisburg center fielder Jack Sutton said. "We showed up a little bit flat on Friday, but I felt like we came into this one with a lot more energy and it spoke for itself." That energy showed immediately. Harrisburg jumped in front in the top of the first inning when Michael Oakland ripped an RBI single to score Sutton, giving the Woodies an early 1-0 lead. Harrisburg added two more runs in the second, with Sutton delivering a two-out, two-RBI double into left field to bring home J.T. Miller and Dalton Allen to give the Woodies an early 3-0 advantage that they would not give back. With the offense establishing the lead early, Harrisburg left-handed pitcher Tanner Brown took over. The former Augustana ace delivered one of the defining performances of the tournament, working all nine innings and keeping Renner off the scoreboard until the final frame. Brown threw 133 pitches, including 92 strikes, while striking out 15 of the 36 batters he faced. He allowed five hits, one run and two walks in the complete-game victory. "My mindset was just not to walk guys," Brown said. "A lot of trouble happens when you walk guys, so I was just trying to get ahead and get that first strike early to keep the runners off the bags." For eight innings, Brown and the Harrisburg defense kept Renner from finding a run. The Monarchs finally pushed a run across in the bottom of the ninth when Maddux Baggs lined an RBI double down the third-base line, scoring Renner's lone run of the afternoon. "Yeah, it sucks giving up the run in the ninth, but that's baseball," Brown said. "Also, I know almost every single guy on that team, and so it was just a blast throwing against those guys." Sutton finished with four of Harrisburg's 10 hits, driving in two runs and scoring once. Allen added three hits, while Oakland collected a hit and an RBI. Baggs provided the Monarchs' only run and one of their five hits, while Chaz Palmer, Ryan Hander, Dave Borchardt and Adam Durfee each recorded one hit. Jeremiah Mauch took the pitching loss after allowing six hits, three runs and five walks while striking out five batters in six innings. Eric Brothers worked three innings of relief, allowing four hits while striking out three. Renner finished its season at 14-8. Harrisburg's Dalton Lehnen was named the Class A tournament's Keith Cutler Most Valuable Player after going 10-for-22 (.455) at the plate while posting a 1.42 ERA, recording 11 strikeouts and earning one pitching victory. Cameron Jensen, of the Tea Steam, earned the Sid Lundquist Batting Champion Award for Class A, finishing the tournament 11-for-23 (.478) across three tournament games. The Yankton Lakers received the Richard Rockafellow Sportsmanship Award. Carson Jager, of the Brookings Cubs, was honored on Saturday night as the Class A recipient of the Tony Adams Hustle Award. Now, Harrisburg has a chance to build something even bigger. Two straight state championships have turned the Woodies into the latest Class A dynasty, and Sunday's victory gave the program its second title while extending a remarkable run against the same opponent that has stood in its way for three consecutive championship games. Sutton believes there is no reason the run has to end here. "It's a brotherhood, for sure," Sutton said. "Everybody hangs out with each other. We want to be with each other. We want to play all these games together. And going forward, we have so much pitching and so many guys. It's going to be a blast for years to come. We're not done."