Top-seeded Harrisburg baseball upset by Watertown in Class A quarters

The top seed in the SDHSBA Class A state tournament only lasted seven innings, with No. 1 Harrisburg losing 4-3 to No. 8 Watertown.

It's the second straight year Harrisburg has been the top seed, and the second straight year the Tigers took on the Arrows in the first game. Harrisburg got the tying run on third base with two outs in the seventh after Gavin Weir advanced to third on a Bryson Esser single. Watertown was playing its outfield back but Weir didn't look to go first to third.

Watertown center fielder Markus Pitkin bobbled the ball, allowing Weir to make it to third regardless. That set up Noah Rutten, who grounded out against Watertown pitcher Jackson McClemans to end the game. Harrisburg lost without ace Kade Wede throwing a pitch.

Wede played first base and went 0-for-3 at the plate. Harrisburg head coach Tony Lanier opted for Grady Wolbrink on the bump, who rewarded him with six innings, allowing four runs, two earned, on seven hits, two walks and a hit batter with four strikeouts. "As a coaching staff we sat on it all week, thinking it out," Lanier said.