Clark Traders, Lake Norden Lakers and Castlewood Ravens earn EDL amateur baseball wins
HURON — A five-run second inning helped propel Watertown Post 17 to a 7-3 win over Huron in the second game of an American Legion Baseball doubleheader on Sunday.
Huron won the first game 1-0.
Watertown (15-16) on the season) trailed 3-1 in the second game before the big second inning that featured a two-run double by Drew Denzer, run-scoring singles by Ryan Roby and Carson Mutschler and a run-scoring groundout by Spencer Wientjes.
Heesch collected three hits. Denzer, who added another double, and Mutschler each contributed two to back the complete-game pitching effort of Mitch Olson.
Kelby Hofer had three hits, including a double, to lead Huron. Ethan Busch had two singles and Mason Davis a double.
Logan Leyendecker collected two hits for Huron (3-8) in the opener. He singled to lead off the bottom of the seventh and came around to score the winning run on a sacrifice fly by Trace Wenz.
Layne Wenzel allowed five hits in the shutout win.
Justin Remmers took the loss, allowing five hit sin 6 2/3 innings for Post 17. Mutschler smacked two doubles and Denzer two singles.
Watertown visits Pierre on Tuesday before returning home to host Mitchell in a doubleheader starting at 5 p.m. on Wednesday at Watertown Stadium.
Aberdeen Smittys 5-11, Mitchell 4-1
ABERDEEN — The third inning proved to be the catalyst for the Aberdeen Smittys in a sweep over Mitchell on Sunday in American Legion Baseball.
Zane Backous smacked a three-run homer in the third inning to give Aberdeen a 5-0 lead in the opener and the Smittys held on for a 5-4 win. Aberdeen (13-7 overall) used an eight-run outburst in the third inning to roll to an 11-1 win in the nightcap.
Backous also had a run-scoring double in the opener for Aberdeen. Mitchell scored twice in the fifth and twice in the seventh before Phillip Zens closed the door for the Smittys.
Lincoln Bates and Dylan Soulek each homered for Mitchell (8-3).
Drew Salfrank (3-for-4 with a double, three runs scored and two runs batted in), Backous (two hits, including a double, and three RBIs), Zens (two doubles), Brendan Livermont (two singles) and Casey Vining (a double and two RBIs) paced Aberdeen's offense in the second game.
Zens tossed five shutout innings in the win, allowing only two hits with six strikeouts.
Karter Sibson tallied two hits and Bates tripled for Mitchell.
Aberdeen opens play in the Dakota Classic at Sioux Falls by facing Lee's Summit (Mo.) on 6:30 p.m. on Friday.
Amateur Baseball
Clark Traders 10-18, Ramona Express 0-4
CLARK — Hudson Fuller's five-inning no-hitter in the opener highlighted the Eastern Dakota League amateur baseball sweep for the Traders, now 5-1 overall and 4-1 in the EDL.
Fuller struck out eight and was backed by an offensive attack that including two doubles and two runs batted in by Zach Winter, two singles apiece by Rhett and Grayson Florey and a triple by Tyler Spence.
David Novak and Nathan Sanderson each produced three hits for Clark in the second game. Rhett Florey added two. Florey and Jess Karber drove in three runs apiece to back Jeffrey Paulson, who fanned eight batters in 5 1/3 innings.
Taylor Bult collected three hits and Jeremiah Hoekman doubled for Ramona (0-6 and 0-5).
Lake Norden Lakers 3, Milbank Firechiefs 0
LAKE NORDEN — Jordon Johnson fired a three-hitter with 14 strikeouts in Lake Norden's EDL victory.
Johnson outdueled Milbank's Dom Boerger, who scattered four hitters and struck out 12.
The Lakers (4-1 overall and in the EDL) scored three unearned runs in the bottom of the third, two of which came on a triple by Mitchell Noem and the other on a single by Mick Tulson.
Josh Cleveland and Jerod Cyrus added singles for Lake Norden.
Taylor Boerger broke on Johnson's no-hit bid in the sixth with a single for Milbank (3-1 and 3-1). Merik Junker and Brady Krause each added singles.
Lake Norden hosts Ramona at 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
Castlewood Ravens 12, Castlewood Monarchs 2
CASTLEWOOD — The Ravens pounded out 17 hits in the EDL win. They improved to 4-1 overall and in the EDL.
Braedon Zaug collected four hits;, Tucker Wookey and Jaydon Cordell each three and Gus Steiger and Ben Althoff two apiece. Steiger homered, Cordell and Althoff each laced two doubles and Wookey, Zaug and Sam Stroup hit doubles. Cordell and Zach Hirsch each drove in three runs.
Wookey also got the win with seven strikeouts in five innings. Bailey Neuhauser pitched the final two innings.
Luke Steffensen doubled for the Monarchs, now 1-3 and 1-3. Chris Lather started and took the loss.
The Ravens host Clark at 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on Twitter @PO_Sports
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Sunday's highlights from area American Legion and amateur baseball games
