The Madison Broncos stamped their ticket to the South Dakota State Amateur Baseball Tournament with a 7-4 victory against the Salem Cubs in Dell Rapids on Thursday evening.
After keeping the Cubs off the board in the top of the first inning, the Broncos plated three runs in the bottom half of the inning to take the early 3-0 lead.
The Cubs answered by scoring one run in the top of the second and added another in the top of the third to trim Madison’s lead to 3-2.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Broncos tacked on three more runs to push their lead to 6-2.
Once again, the Cubs responded with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning to trim Madison’s lead to 6-4.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Broncos pushed across one run to extend their lead to 7-4.
Tyler Tappe picked up the win for the Broncos. Tappe pitched 8.2 innings and struck out 11 batters while scattering six hits. Mitch McNary earned the one-out save after striking out the only batter he faced to pick up the final out of the game.
Josh Giles hit a three-run double for the Broncos. McNary collected two hits, including a double, and drove in a pair of runs. Matt Burpee picked up two hits, including a double, and drove in one run.
The Broncos will face the Plankinton Gold Sox on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in the opening round of the state tournament. All the games will be played at Cadwell Park in Mitchell.
The Broncos will enter the state tournament with a 13-9 record.
