Harrisburg has gone a perfect 3-0 against Watertown recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Tigers will look to defend their home field against the Arrows at 5:30 p.m. Harrisburg is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last six games.
Harrisburg is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of South Dakota's top teams: Brookings, who was ranked tenth at the time (Harrisburg was ranked third). The Tigers put the hurt on the Bobcats with a sharp 12-6 win on Tuesday. 12 seems to be a good number for the Tigers as the squad scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Kylie Visker
| 04/03/25 @ Lincoln | 2 |
| 04/08/25 @ Washington | 2 |
| 04/10/25 @ Roosevelt | 2 |
| 04/15/25 @ Brandon Valley | 2 |
| 04/22/25 @ Brookings | 11 |
Kylie Visker spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five earned (and one unearned) runs on seven hits and racked up 11 Ks. Those 11 strikeouts set a new season-high mark for her.
At the plate, Ava Gross was a standout: she went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and one double. That's the most runs she has posted since back in May of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Peyton Laframboise, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Harrisburg kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits every time they've taken the field this season.
Meanwhile, Watertown fought the good fight in their extra-innings contest against Tea on Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They took a 20-17 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Titans. Even though they lost, the Arrows' still made a splash at the plate and bumped their average scoring up to 6.8 runs per game (they're now ranked -1th in scoring overall).
Aleia Johnston and Kodi Lund stepped up to the plate in a big way. Johnston went 5-for-6 with six RBI, three runs, and one stolen base, while Lund went 4-for-6 with one home run, four runs, and three RBI. Johnston also put up a double, which was her first of the season. Ellie Hirsch was another key player, going 2-for-6 with two runs and one stolen base.
Harrisburg's win was their 14th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-1. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.6 runs on average over those games. As for Watertown, they now have a losing record of 2-3.
Watertown's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Harrisburg has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .455. It's a different story for Watertown, though, as they've only averaged .341. Will they be able to contain Harrisburg's hitters?
Harrisburg beat Watertown 5-2 when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Will the Tigers repeat their success, or do the Arrows have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
