WATERTOWN, S.D. — Costly defensive miscues and a late-inning surge allowed Harrisburg to sweep a doubleheader against Watertown on Tuesday, as the Tigers took the opener 4-1 before clinching a 9-7 victory in eight innings.
Game 1: Harrisburg 4, Watertown 1
Harrisburg capitalized on two errors in the third inning to plate three runs, providing enough cushion for starter Andrew Dierks. Dierks earned the win, scattering three hits over 6 2/3 scoreless innings while striking out six.
The Tigers tallied 11 hits in the contest, led by three-hit performances from Gavin Weir and Noah Rutten. Collin Wright and Nick Riley also contributed hits to the Harrisburg attack.
Markus Pitkin provided the lone spark for Watertown, going 3-for-4 and driving in the Arrows’ only run. Jackson McClemans took the loss, surrendering three runs on nine hits with four strikeouts across six innings. Cain Everson threw one inning of relief.
“There’s four brand-new starters out there, some guys making their first varsity experience,” Watertown coach Ryan Neale said. “When you lose four starting infielders, you have to work through some things, get guys experience, and just continue to battle.”
Game 2: Harrisburg 9, Watertown 7 (8 innings)
The nightcap featured a see-saw battle that saw Watertown erase a 6-1 deficit with a six-run explosion in the sixth inning to take a 7-6 lead. However, Harrisburg’s Treydon Hofer tied the game in the seventh with an RBI double to force extra innings.
In the eighth, Kade Wede hit a go-ahead double and Wyatt Witwicki added a sacrifice fly to give the Tigers a two-run lead. Watertown threatened in the bottom of the frame after Sam Olson singled and Pitkin reached on an error, but a line-drive double play ended the comeback attempt.
Bryson Esser paced Harrisburg with a 4-for-4 effort at the plate, while Wede added two hits. Landon Bachtell earned the win in relief, allowing one hit and striking out three over 2 1/3 innings. Grady Wolbrink started the game, striking out seven and allowing just two hits over five innings.
For Watertown, Olson, Johnathan Lake, Cole Hansen, and Carter Buisker each recorded hits. Kasen Jensen took the loss in relief. Starter Tripp Jorgenson went four innings, allowing four runs on three hits while walking four.
“We’ve just got to play better defensively—we’ve got to make more plays,” Neale said. “There’s a couple of balls that maybe should have been caught in foul territory… you can’t give a hitter a second opportunity against a team like Harrisburg.”
Up Next
Watertown (3-3) travels to face Brookings at Bob Shelden Field on Friday.
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