WATERTOWN, S.D. — It was a tale of two different ballgames Wednesday night as Watertown Post 17 opened the American Legion baseball season with a doubleheader split against the Aberdeen Smittys at Watertown Stadium.
Game 1: Watertown 13, Aberdeen 3 (6 innings)
Watertown racked up 16 hits in a 13-3 victory that was halted in the sixth inning due to the run rule.
Five Arrows recorded multi-hit games, led by Cole Hansen, who went 3-for-3 with one RBI. Carter Buisker also collected three hits, while Cain Everson, Jaxon Falak, and Markus Pitkin each added two.
Kooper Heiser earned the win on the mound, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out six in a complete six-inning performance.
“It was nice to get a new season started tonight, especially coming off the momentum we built during last week’s State High School Tournament,” Watertown head coach Ryan Neale said. “We were able to get a quality start from Kooper on the mound, and that allowed our offense to settle in later in the game and secure the Game 1 victory.”
Jehiel Aviles led the Smittys, going 2-for-3 at the plate. Michael Dutenhoffer and Jackson Post each drove in a run. Branson Peterson took the loss, giving up six runs on eight hits across four innings.
Game 2: Aberdeen 4, Watertown 0
In the nightcap, Dutenhoffer dominated on the mound, striking out 15 Watertown batters and scattering just four hits in a complete-game shutout to guide Aberdeen to a 4-0 win.
Post led the Smittys’ offense with two hits in four at-bats, while Aviles drove in two runs on one hit.
Sam Olson was the lone bright spot for the Watertown lineup, accounting for three of the team’s four hits. Ashton Rabine suffered the loss, allowing four runs and issuing seven walks in 3 1/3 innings. Kasen Jensen provided solid relief, throwing 3 2/3 innings and allowing just three hits.
Neale credited Aberdeen’s pitching performance in the second game as the major difference-maker.
“He was really good tonight and gave our guys trouble getting comfortable at the plate,” Neale said. “He kept us off balance all game long, and sometimes you just have to give credit where credit is due. He earned that win tonight.”
Up Next
Watertown (1-1, 16-9) remains at home to host Huron for Bobby Gasper Night on Thursday. Game times are scheduled for 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Admission is by free-will donation, with proceeds benefiting the Bobby Gasper Scholarship fund. The games will be broadcast live on the Post 17 TV YouTube channel.
WTNSports.com 