This game recap is brought to you by Culvers of Aberdeen; 616 Centennial St. South, Aberdeen. Culvers of Aberdeen can be reached at 605-725-4444. Check out the “Flavor of the day” here: https://www.culvers.com/restaurants/aberdeen
THURS SCHEDULE
HIGH SCHOOL
Legion Baseball
Aberdeen Smittys 8 – WP: Michael Dutenhoffer 4IP. 3H. 2BB. 7K. Joran Foss 2-3 3r + 2r-HR. 4RBI.
Spearfish Post 164 0
[Game 1]
[Presented by Culvers]
Aberdeen Smittys 8 – WP: Bennett Eisenbeisz (CG) 7IP. 7H. 3R. 2ER. 4BB. 1K. K. Borge 3-5, 2RBI.
Spearfish Post 164 3
[Game 2]
[Presented by Culvers]
SPEARFISH, SD (HubCityRadio.com) – On Thursday night from Black Hills Energy Stadium in Spearfish, the Aberdeen Smittys brought their offense & their defense against Post 164, en route to a doubleheader sweep; winning game one 8-0 & then an 8-3 triumph in game two.
In game one, Post 164 had their ace on the hill, Jack Branum. Coming into the doubleheader against the Smittys, his ERA was sitting at 2.75 and Aberdeen would force that number to increase. Branum retired the first two batters in the top of the first, but then Lance Siefken would draw a walk and after a first pitch strike, Joran Foss would spank a two-run homerun to left center field and the Smittys drew first blood, 2-0. Because the Aberdeen pitching staff would be lights out over seven innings, that 2-0 lead would have been enough for the win, but the Smittys weren’t done.
In the top of the fourth, Foss took a leadoff walk and Jaxson Ladner would poke a single out to right field, where Foss advanced to third; with runners on the corners, the next batter Ridley Waldo drilled a laser out to right field to plate Foss and a 3-0 lead for Aberdeen.
Spearfish had a great chance to tie things up or even take the lead, but they left the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth inning as Jaxon Ladner got out of a bases loaded jam; he forced a pop out & a fly out to end the Post 164 threat. Leading 3-0 in the sixth, the first two Smittys would reach, Ridley Waldo plated Joran Foss. Waldo would touch home plate on a double steal, the throw went into centerfield and Waldo was able to jog home for a 5-0 lead. All told, the Smittys added more insurance and eventually took care of business, winning 8-0.
Michael Dutenhoffer took the win on the hill, going four innings and only surrendering three hits and he fanned seven Post 164 batters. Joran Foss went 2-3 with three runs scored and four runs knocked in. Ridley Waldo was a steady 2-4 with a run scored & a pair of runs batted in.
In game two, much like game one, Aberdeen struck early; after the first two outs were recorded, the Smittys dug in. Lance Siefken laced a single out to centerfield, Joran Foss & Jaxon Ladner both were plunked, loading up the bases. Ridley Waldo got down in the count, but his patient at bat eventually would earn him a RBI on a bases loaded walk. Grant Beyer would plate a pair on a pop fly that just found grass as three defenders couldn’t chase it down in time.
Leading 3-1 going into the third, Joran Foss led off the top of the frame with a single; Ridley Waldo drew a walk & then Joe Cogley would plate Foss on an awkward hop that went off of the second baseman’s glove and a 4-1 lead. Levi Hoffman drew another a walk and that loaded the bases for Karson Borge who would drill a seed to left field that’d plate two more Smittys & Aberdeen would take a commanding 6-1 lead.
Grant Beyer drilled an RBI single in the top of the fourth to up the advantage to 7-1. In the top of the fifth, with the Smittys leading 7-2 (after Post 164 chipped away), with runners on second and third with one out, Jehiel Aviles would hit a sac fly to left field that’d plate Jared Klootwyk to up the advantage to 8-2.
Bennett Eisenbeisz went the duration and scattered seven hits, three runs, only two earned and picked up his lone strikeout to end the game. On offense, Karson Borge was 3-5 with a pair of RBI. The Smittys return to action on Friday against Sturgis Post 33 at noon & 2p.