Watertown Post 17 Sweeps Groton Behind Deep Lineup and Pitching-by-Committee Approach

Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - Watertown Post 17 used balanced pitching and a surge of timely hitting to sweep a Monday night doubleheader against Groton Post 39 at Watertown Stadium, winning 11–1 and 13–3. Both games ended early by the run rule.

Game 1: Watertown 11, Groton 1 (5 innings)

Cole Hansen went 3-for-4, and Jonathan Lake drove in three runs as Watertown opened the night with an 11–1 victory. Cain Everson added two hits and an RBI, while Ashton Rabine, Lincoln Schutt, and Carter Busker each recorded a hit.

Post 17 used four pitchers in the opener. Hunter Halajian started and struck out two in one inning. Kasen Jensen earned the win, working two innings with three strikeouts and two hits allowed. Jackson McClemans and Max Sears each threw one inning to close out the game.

Coach Ryan Neale said the goal was to get several arms back into rhythm.

“I thought our pitchers did a good job of coming out and doing what they needed to do, and that was attack the strike zone,” Neale said. “There was a handful of guys that haven’t probably pitched in 10 days, and it was important to get out there and attack the strike zone and just get a feel for it again.”

Alex Abeln and Braedon Fliehs collected Groton’s only hits. Jarrett Erdmann took the loss, allowing seven runs on six hits over four innings, with six walks and four strikeouts.

Game 2: Watertown 13, Groton 3 (6 innings)

Lincoln Schutt delivered a perfect 4-for-4 performance with two RBIs to lead Watertown to a 13–3 win in the nightcap.

With the game tied 1–1 in the second inning, McClemans broke it open with a bases-clearing triple that sparked a six-run frame. He finished 2-for-4 with four RBIs. Everson, Jaxon Falak, Sam Olson, Tripp Jorgenson, Kye Paulson, and Jensen each added a hit as part of an 11-hit attack.

Neale said the team responded well after several days without live pitching.

“We did hit some balls hard tonight,” Neale said. “When you’re off for four days from competition and seeing live pitching, you really want to be able to track the baseball, and I think that’s what we did. Hopefully, that leads into some things for some of our guys moving forward.”

Watertown again used multiple pitchers. Rabine earned the win with five strikeouts and four walks over two innings. Buisker, Kooper Heiser, Markus Pitkin, and Everson each threw one inning.

Abeln and Carter Simon each had two hits for Groton. Erdmann, Gavin Englun, and Nick Groeblinghoff drove in runs. Karsten Fliehs took the loss, allowing 13 runs (12 earned) on 11 hits.

Up Next

Watertown (24–17, 9–7) travels to the Omaha metro area June 17–20 for the Creighton Prep Tournament. The annual trip includes attending College World Series games, which Neale says provides a valuable perspective.

“Being able to take guys down there, see these great teams that have made it this far, and be able to see it in person… We’ll see a lot of different teams and play in some nice facilities, let the boys watch a few games and enjoy the weekend.”