WATERTOWN, S.D. — The Watertown softball team dropped a pair of weekend contests, falling 11-1 on the road against Sioux Falls O’Gorman on Friday before suffering a 16-8 home loss to Brandon Valley on Saturday.
In Friday’s matchup, O’Gorman jumped ahead early and held the Arrows to just five hits. Atley Herold-Stephens, Averie Howe, and Alice Gundvaldson paced the Knights, combining for six of the team’s nine hits. Sonia Deckert finished 1-for-3 with three RBIs, while pitcher Laila Noonan earned the complete-game victory, allowing one run over five innings.
Lauryn Hirsch led Watertown at the plate, going 2-for-3. Chesney Berglund drove in the lone run for the Arrows. Hirsch also started in the circle, striking out four while allowing 11 runs on nine hits over 4 2/3 innings.
On Saturday, Watertown bounced back offensively but could not contain Brandon Valley’s bats in a high-scoring affair. Logan Schell led the Arrow offense, finishing a perfect 4-for-4 with an RBI.
“Logan Schell had an amazing weekend at the plate and really gave us a spark offensively,” Watertown coach Kelli Brinka said.
Alexa Brown and Maddie Carter each added two hits for the Arrows. Brown pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing nine runs on eight hits while striking out three. Hirsch pitched 1 1/3 innings in relief, giving up seven runs on four hits, including a home run.
Briley Laber powered Brandon Valley with a 4-for-4 performance and an RBI. Aniston Murray and Karlee Small each collected two hits and three RBIs. Jacey Meyers picked up the win, allowing five runs on eight hits in five innings, while Kinsley Kathman pitched two innings of relief, giving up three runs on two hits.
A costly defensive stretch ultimately derailed the Arrows’ upset bid against Brandon Valley.
“We played some of our best softball for five innings against Brandon,” Brinka said. “One tough inning with too many errors got away from us. The girls did a great job letting it go, staying together, and continuing to compete. We never gave up and ended up scoring most of our runs after that.”
Watertown faces a busy slate as it enters the final week of the regular season and prepares for postseason play.
“Our hope is to continue moving people around to find the best lineup for the SoDak16 so everyone feels comfortable and confident in their positions,” Brinka said.
The Arrows travel to Yankton on Tuesday, return home to face Sioux Falls Lincoln on Thursday, and wrap up the regular season at Sioux Falls Jefferson on Friday.
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