Watertown Post 17 Splits Regular-Season Finale With Spearfish, Eyes Class A Super Regionals
- Steve Jurrens
- Jul 16
- 2 min read
Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - Watertown Post 17 closed out its regular season Wednesday with a doubleheader split against Spearfish Post 164, falling 8–6 in the opener before responding with a decisive 10–0 run‑rule victory in game two. The Arrows finish the regular season at 19–15 as they await next week’s Class A Super Regionals.
Game 1: Spearfish 8, Watertown 6
Watertown built an early 5–2 lead in the third inning behind back‑to‑back two‑run doubles from Lincoln Schutt and Kye Paulson, but Spearfish stormed back in the fourth. Bray Bowar ripped a three‑run triple and Darin Crooks added an RBI groundout to put Post 164 ahead 6–5. Two additional runs in the fifth—helped by Watertown miscues—pushed the margin out of reach.
Spearfish’s Jack Scharf earned the win with four innings of one‑run relief, striking out five. Bowar, Tucker Olson, and Cooper Chase each tallied two hits.
Watertown out‑hit Spearfish 12–8, led by Paulson’s 3‑for‑3 performance. Kooper Heiser took the loss, allowing eight runs over four innings, while Markus Pitkin delivered three scoreless frames in relief.
Coach Ryan Neale said missed chances proved costly.
“We had opportunities to add on to a lead, or extend a lead, or just get one in general,” Neale said. “Having second and third, nobody out, and coming away with nothing in those two situations really hurt.”
Game 2: Watertown 10, Spearfish 0 (5 innings)
Post 17 flipped the script in the nightcap, invoking the run rule behind a dominant outing from Tripp Jorgenson. The right‑hander allowed just one hit over four innings, striking out eight. Carter Buisker threw a scoreless fifth to close the door.
Pitkin led the offense with a 2‑for‑3, three‑RBI game. Schutt added a triple as part of a two‑hit, two‑RBI performance, while Sam Olson also went 2‑for‑3 with two RBIs. Jonathan Lake drove in two more.
Spearfish’s lone hit came from Walker Viessman. Bowar took the loss, giving up six runs on six hits in three innings.
Neale praised Jorgenson’s ability to compete through occasional wildness.
“It’s the definition of effectively wild,” Neale said. “He’s got a massive upside that’s going to compete with anybody.”
Up Next
Watertown enters the postseason as the No. 9 seed and is expected to open the Class A Super Regionals on the road next Wednesday. Neale said several matchups remain possible.
“Anywhere from Harrisburg, to Pierre, to Brookings, to Yankton, I think are all in play.”
The official brackets will be released this weekend.
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