It was everything the Aberdeen Smittys could have wanted on senior night at Fossum Field.

The squad received major contributions from its seniors, honored the late Bryce Anglin, played in front of one of the largest crowd’s of the season, and walked away with a 16-4 American Legion baseball win over Sturgis Thursday night.

“It was just a special night,” said Smittys coach Nathan Gonnelly. “It was senior night, the Bryce Anglin Award was presented tonight. It was just a great night overall.”

And like they have all season long, the Smittys came through on offense, scoring in every inning in a variety of ways. It marked the 22nd time this season that Aberdeen has scored at least 10 runs in a game.

“It just starts off with the lead-off batter getting on and we just go from there,” said Smittys senior Lance Siefken. “Just stay simple when there’s runners in scoring position, just try to get them in any way possible.”

Siefken did his part on a seeing-eye single that went between the third baseman and shortstop to produce two runs.

“I felt a lot of pressure even though the game wasn’t real close,” Siefken said. “I just had a lot of weight on my shoulders and it felt really good to just get it off with that. It wasn’t the prettiest, but a hit’s a hit.”

Aberdeen’s offensive production made life a bit easier for fellow senior Donnie Soderlund, who pitched six strong innings.

“Being a pitcher, it’s just huge when you get run support,” Soderlund said. “It just makes it so much easier, so much more enjoyable, knowing I got these guys hitting for me every single night on the mound.”

The night was particularly special for Soderlund, who was selected to get the start on the mound.

“I was so excited when I got the nod to pitch for senior night,” Soderlund said. “It was probably one of my dreams growing up was to be a starting pitcher on senior night.”

While Sturgis was able to collect a few hits and score a few runs, Soderlund stayed the course and kept battling. While he only struck out one, he only walked one as well.

“Donnie has been kind of like that guy for us all year. He’s going to throw strikes,” Gonnelly said. “There’s going to be a couple of mistakes made on defense, but he’s just going to stay true to himself.”

Cooper Eisenbeisz had a pair of RBI hits, including a triple, to help power the Smittys offense. Aberdeen also took advantage of 11 walks, two hit batters, and six errors.

Prior to the game, Siefken was selected to receive the Bryce Anglin Scholarship.

“It means a lot,” Siefken said of the award. “It just shows the association, and my coaches and teammates see a lot of good in me, and I am very thankful to win that award.”

Gonnelly said that Siefken is very deserving of the honor.

“He’s been the hardest worker from the jump. He’s just always trying to get more reps, always trying to get better,” Gonnelly said. “I feel like that rubs off on the team a little bit, too, and just his character, he’s a bubbly kid. He means a lot to this team.”

The Smittys, 28-17 on the season, host Spearfish in a doubleheader this afternoon at Fossum Field. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.

Sturgis Titans 001 012 0 – 4 7 4

Aberdeen Smittys 342 115 x – 16 8 1

Brand Matthews, K. Peters (4), J. Peters (4), Yaden Miller (6) and Evan Stroud; Donnie Soderlund, Jaxon Ladner (7) and Talan Dutenhoeffer. 2B – Sturgis Titans, Brody Royer. 3B – Sturgis Titans, Jack Knutson. Aberdeen Smittys, Cooper Eisenbeisz