The weather was similar to the last time the Aberdeen Smittys played at home, but the effort in the field was significantly better at Fossum Field Wednesday evening.

Competing once again with temps in the mid 40s, the Smittys came up with numerous defensive gems in a split with Watertown in high school baseball. After falling 7-5 in the first game, Aberdeen took the nightcap 8-5 for its first win of the spring.

“We were on target today,” said Smittys catcher Levi Hoffman of the team’s improved defense. “I was pretty excited about it.”

It was stark contrast to the team’s only other home games to start the season.

“It’s pretty important, not getting errors,” Hoffman said. “When we were playing Pierre we got like what 13 errors, but we made like 20 runs and we still lost because of the 13 errors.”

Against Watertown, the Smittys made some highlight reel plays, including a back to the field diving catch by JaSean Rivera and a nifty pick by second baseman Michael Dutenhoffer that resulted in a fielder’s choice.

“I think we made better routine plays, too, balls that came right at a guy, we made those plays,” said Aberdeen coach Nathan Gonnelly. “Like JaSean’s backward diving catch, we had other guys too, Donnie (Kiesow) in the outfield that slide and dove, Levi caught like 3 or 4 catcher’s pops. I think he almost climbed halfway up the fence to catch one.”

Gonnelly said that defensive effort helped to jumpstart the team’s offense.

“That certainly helps defensively and that’s morale boosting, too,” Gonnelly said. “If you’re kind of in a slump hitting, you see your boy out there make a diving catch, OK here we go. That’s the spark that we needed.”

Aberdeen dropped the opener after falling behind 7-1. The Smittys rallied for four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, but it wasn’t quite enough.

Hoffman had an RBI double and Rivera plated two on a single. Karson Borge drove in another with a fielder’s choice.

The Smittys trailed early in the nightcap before exploding for six runs in the third inning. Jackson Post started the uprising with a two-run single. Cogley followed with another run-scoring single to tie the contest. Will Haskell was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in another run, and the last two runs scored on a error.

After Watertown closed the gap to one, Aberdeen added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth on an error and a wild pitch.

Borge scored runs in both games. He is also a key member of the Central track and field team so he is not always available for baseball.

“I just find a time that works with track,” Borge said, “and hopefully we have a game somewhere in the middle there where we don’t have a meet.”

Borge won’t be able to play in the Smittys’ next four games, because he will be competing at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays this weekend.

He said coaches in both sports help to coordinate schedules as best they can.

“It’s hard. I have good coaches that are able to work with it,” Borge said. “It’s easy to get to stuff, so hopefully we have games where I don’t have a meet and if that works then I go to the games.”

He said he has the same mindset for both sports.

“It’s about the same,” Borge said. “I show up and expect to compete and expect to win.”

Gonnelly was impressed with his team’s ability to fight back in each of the two contests.

“That’s talking to these guys’ character, too,” Gonnelly said. “They’ve just been working hard, learning at practice, putting what we do at practice into games. They’re working hard and it’s showing right now.”

After playing just two games in more than two weeks to start the season, the Smittys will make up for lost time this weekend. They will be hosting doubleheaders against Tea Area on Friday night, Sioux Falls Lincoln on Saturday afternoon, and Rapid City Central on Sunday afternoon.

“Its going to be rough,” Hoffman said. “I’ll probably catch most of them, too.”

While the weather has been cool for most of Aberdeen’s game so far this season, Hoffman said he will take that over the alternative.

“I like this weather,” he said, “because in all the gear and stuff, you get hot. You start sweating.”

Borge got to be a part of the team’s first victory of the season and is hoping there will more wins by the time he returns to the squad on Sunday.

“That first one on the board is a big one. It’s the hardest one,” Borge said. “Now that we got that one, hopefully these guys can put down the fort and win a couple more. Hopefully I get back and we’re about 4-5 wins.”

Watertown 210 130 0 – 7 7 0

Aberdeen Smittys 100 040 0 – 5 7 3

Ashton Rabine, Kasen Jensen (5), Jackson McClemans (7) and Johnathan Lake; JaSean Rivera, Wheeler Malsam (2) and Levi Hoffman. 2B – Watertown, Cain Everson, Markus Pitkin; Aberdeen Smittys, Joe Cogley, Jackson, Hoffman.

Watertown 210 200 0 – 5 3 4

Aberdeen Smittys 006 020 x – 8 5 2

Cain Everson, Kooper Heiser (5) and Maxx Sears; Ridley Waldo, Jackson Post (6) and Levi Hoffman. 2B – Aberdeen Smittys, Cogley, Post.