Rapid City Post 320 knocks off top-seeded Rapid City Post 22 and Harrisburg downs No. 2 seed Yankton in Tuesday's state-tourney openers.
WATERTOWN — Host Watertown Post 17 halted a barrage of opening-day upsets (at least based on seeding) during the opening day of the 2025 South Dakota State Class A American Legion Baseball Tournament.
The eight-team, double-elimination tourney opened Tuesday, July 29 at Watertown Stadium and continues through Saturday, Aug. 2. Watertown is hosting the tourney for the first time since 1991.
Here's a recap of Tuesday's games:
No. 3 Watertown 5, No. 6 Pierre 2
Cole Hansen's flyball to center plated two tie-breaking runs in the top of the fifth inning and Post 17 added another insurance run in the bottom of the sixth on a surprise suicide squeeze bunt by No. 5 hitter Kaden Rylance.
Rylance's run-scoring single and a bases-loaded walk by Briggs in the bottom of the second gave Watetown a 2-0 lead. Pierre pulled even by getting a run-scoring single by Dawson Getz in the third and also scoring an a throwing error in the top of the fifth.
Jonathan Lake walked to start the key rally for Watertown (27-13) in the fifth. After Treyton Himmerich was hit by a pitch, both runners moved up on a passed ball. Hansen's flyball to center was dropped (and ruled an error) and plated both Lake and Himmerich.
Hayden Ries and Mitch Olson each also added singles for Watertown, which took advantage of nine walks by Pierre pitchers. Rylance allowed only one hit in four innings. Jackson McClemans tossed 2 1/3 innings of hitless relief for the win and Carter Buisker recorded the final two outs for the save.
Carter Schiefelbein also singled for Pierre (22-15).
No. 8 Rapid City Post 320 4, No. 1 Rapid City Post 22 1
Post 320 (33-28) kicked off the tourney with a shocker, beating their crosstown foes for the first time in 17 years and first time in a state tourney.
Laadon Fatz went the distance on the mound, scattering six hits to go with five strikeouts.
Post 320 scored three runs in the top of the third on singles by Tegan Sayles and Jhett Peterson and a fielder's choice groundout by Max Speed, who blasted a home run in the top of the seventh. Sayles finished with two hits.
Kain McLeod went 3-for-3 and Dawson Inhofer added two hits for Post 22 (58-9-1). Jadon Moreno, the first of three Post 22 hurlers in the game, took the loss.
No. 7 Harrisburg Gold 8, No. 2 Yankton 0
Harrisburg (15-20) continued the day of surprised by blanking Yankton (26-11) behind solid pitching and a grand slam homer by Noah Boschee.
Harrisburg led 2-0 before plating five runs in the top of the fourth, highlighted by Boschee's blast. Darren Safranski went 3-for-4 and Talen Munce laced two doubles for Gold.
Kyson Severson and Rylan Boe combined for a five-hitter on the mound.
Beck Ryken and Easton Fester each doubled for Yankton. Mark Kathol started the loss.
No. 5 Renner 6, No. 4 Brandon Valley 2
This wasn't a major upset, since the two teams had split regular-season matchups and the defending state champions won behind a complete-game pitching performance by Jackson Bjorkman. He surrendered only four hits with seven strikeouts.
After run-scoring singles by Brogan Moffitt and Brody Jacobson put Renner (21-19) ahead 2-0, the Royals added four more runs in the top of the fifth on a hit batsmen, walk, sac fly and double.
Rylan Arbogast, who doubled, joined Moffitt and Jacobson with two hits apiece.
Bryton Stroh had a run-scoring single for Brandon Valley (25-16), which also scoed on a hit batsmen. Ryland Carroll took the loss.
Wednesday's Games
Elimination games include Rapid City Post 22 vs. Brandon Valley at 10 a.m. and Yankton vs. Pierre at 1 p.m. Rapid City Post 320 and Renner square off in a winner's bracket game at 4 p.m., followed by Watertown vs. Harrisburg Gold at 7 p.m.
Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Class A state American Legion Baseball Tourney opens in Watertown
Category: General Sports
