Watertown's American Legion Baseball team off an impressive 11-2 start

WATERTOWN — A really good start to the 2024 American Legion Baseball season for Watertown Post 17 continued on Tuesday night at Watertown Stadium.

Post 17 used a complete-game pitching effort from Talan Jurgens to win the opener 3-0 and five-run outbursts in the fifth and sixth innings to complete the sweep with a 14-8 comeback win in the nightcap of the team's first home games of the season.

Post 17 is now 11-2 heading into the Watertown Baseball Association's Hall of Fame Weekend. The weekend opens with a Hall of Fame banquet Friday night at 2nd Street Station, starting with a social at 5 p.m. Post 17 will host Rapid City Post 307 in a twinbill starting at 11 a.m. Saturday and in another game slated for 10 a.m. on Sunday.

Still, head coach Ryan Neale knows the team isn't in mid-season form.

"Our bats are slowly coming alive. We started off with four games in Iowa and then had 10 days off. We played two more games and had four more days off," Neale said. "Baseball is a game that is made to be played consistently. This has been a good indication with three games at Rapid City Post 22 this past weekend, these two games tonight and three more this weekend. Hopefully we can find a rhythm and continue.

Give to game ball to Talan Jurgens

The opening game of Tuesday's twinbill was really about Watertown pitcher Talan Jurgens, who was pretty much in control from the start. He scattered four hits, walked four and fanned eight.

The Smittys did threaten in the fifth and sixth, but had runners thrown out at the plate in both innings and didn't score.

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Post 17 managed only six hits against Aberdeen pitcher Zane Backous, but did a good job of finding ways to score. Spencer Wientjes led off the bottom of the first with a walk and scored on a single by Treyton Himmerich. Nathan Briggs singled in the second and later scored on a groundout by Hayden Ries. Post 17 added an insurance run in the sixth when Himmerich doubled, moved to third on a flyout by Nathan Briggs and scored on a groundout by Marcus Rabine.

Himmerich's two hits led Watertown. Donnie Soderlund collected two hits for Aberdeen.

Lots more offense in the nightcap

The two teams combined for 20 hits in the second game, nine by Watertown and 11 by Aberdeen. The Smittys led 5-1 after 2 1/2 innings and 8-4 after 4 1/2.

Watertown rallied in the fifth, scoring on a single by Will Engstrom and a bases-loaded walk by Ries before freshman catcher Jonathan Lake hit a three-run, go-ahead double. A three-run hit by Kaden Rylance highlighted another five-run sixth inning for Post 17.

Post 17 swept Aberdeen early last season and went 3-1 against the Smittys, who got even by beating Watertown 15-4 and 1-0 and in a state-qualifying playoff series in Watertown.

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"We knew Aberdeen was going to be tough. They returned a lot of same kids from last year and the two guys who started on the mound were the same two guys who beat us in the super regions," Neale said. "The difference our team has grown a bit emotionally and maturing wise.

"If we're going to be where we're capable of being at the end of the year, these are games we needed to win but we know Aberdeen is still going to be a top 6 or 7 seed before all said is gone. Their middle of the lineup is good."

Rylance went 4-for-4 with a double and four RBIs to lead Post 17. Engstrom went 2-for-2. Grant Beyer and Brendan Livermont each had two hits for Aberdeen, which also got a two-run double by Talan Dutenhoeffer and a solo homer by Casey Vining.

The other Rapid team is coming here

Post 17 spent last weekend in Rapid City taking on perennial state power Post 22. After Rylance and Nash Berg teamed up on the mound for a 5-2 Post 17 win in the opener, Post 22 recorded 10-0 and 12-2 wins in the final two games.

Neale said the third game was closer than the score indicates.

"We kind of woke the bear to an extent," Neale said. "They don't like people coming into their house and beating them. The positive thing about the Rapid trip is that we know we can play with them. We were close heading into the fifth inning of Game 3 but just weren't set up for any more pitching at that point."

The Smittys, coached by former Post 17 standout Nathan Gonnelly, fell to 1-3 on the season.

Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.com

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Watertown's American Legion Baseball team off an impressive 11-2 start