The Aberdeen Smittys were swept at home on Tuesday after two dominant performances by the Yankton Bucks at Fossum Field.

The visitors won the first game 9-0 and took the second contest 9-4 in the American Legion baseball doubleheader.

Yankton scored six runs in the top of the third inning to take control in the opener.

Easton Feser, who had three hits in the contest, had an RBI triple, and Kaden Hunhoff added a two-run double to highlight the frame.

Karson Borge topped the Smitys with three hits, including a double. Michael Dutenhoffer contributed two hits.

Yankton jumped in front of the second game with five runs in the top of the first inning, taking advantage of four Aberdeen walks. The Smittys got on the board in the bottom of the inning when Jeheil Aviles hit a lead-off double, and later stole home.

Yankton added another run in the second inning before Aberdeen closed the gap in the bottom of the third with a pair of runs. Smittys catcher Levi Hoffman hit an RBI single to plate Aviles, who walked to lead off the inning.

“It felt good,” Hoffman said. “I was finally able to get a hit.”

Despite the setback, Hoffman said the team is having better at-bats as the season has progressed.

“So far this year, we’ve seen a lot more people hitting the ball harder,” Hoffman said.

Later in the inning, the Smittys tacked on another run when Jackson Post scored on a wild pitch with the bases loaded to cut the lead down to 6-3, however Aberdeen stranded runners on second and third to end the inning.

Aberdeen coach Josh Steinwandt said the team needs to be able to put full games together.

“When the first two or three guys come up and string competitive at-bats together, we need to make sure our four, five and six hitters do the same thing,” Steinwandt said. “I think that’s what we’re missing right now. We’re not really consistent, and we just need to make it more consistent.”

Yankton scored three more times in the top of the sixth to pull away. Tate Beste’s bases-loaded single accounted for all of the runs.

The Smittys added another run in the bottom of the sixth on Karson Borge’s RBI double. However, Aberdeen once again stranded runners on second and third base after a pair of strikeouts and a line out.

Aviles and Borge each finished with a pair of hits for Aberdeen.

While the Smittys fell in the second game, Steinwandt said he liked the improvements he saw from the opener to the nightcap.

“In the first game, we weren’t really putting good at-bats together,” Steinwandt said. “In the second game, we strung some more competitive at-bats together, and our pitching improved from the first game to the second game.”

Hoffman said the players are putting in the time to make sure they keep improving.

“It just really takes a lot of practice,” Hoffman said. “And these guys are out here practicing really hard lately.”

The Smittys will have a quick turnaround as they head to Huron to take on the Tigers in a doubleheader starting at 5 this evening.

“(Wednesday) isn’t really a must-win, but it kind of is,” Steinwandt said. “Huron is a very beatable team. We didn’t look how we needed to look today, but we need to make sure we’re ready to play (Wednesday).”

Yankton 016 001 1 – 9 12 1

Aberdeen Smittys 000 000 0 – 0 8 2

Beck Ryken and Kaden Hunhoff; Drake Soderlund, Wheeler Malsam (3), Karson Borge (5), JaSean Rivera (6) and Levi Hoffman. 2B – Yankton, Kaden Hunhoff; Aberdeen Smittys, Karson Borge. 3B – Yankton, Easton Feser.

Yankton 510 003 0 – 9 8 3

Aberdeen Smittys 102 001 0 – 4 7 3

Chase Cooley, Boston Frick (3) and Kaden Hunhoff; Branson Peterson, Benny Eisenbiesz (1), Jackson Post (6), Jehiel Aviles (7) and Levi Hoffman. 2B – Yankton, Kaden Hunhoff; Smittys, Jehiel Aviles, Karson Borge.