Titans split slugfest with Aberdeen, sweep Huron

The Tea Area High School baseball team split a high-scoring doubleheader against Aberdeen on Friday, May 1, dropping a narrow 11-10 decision in the opener before erupting for a 23-10 win. 

In game one, the Titans came out swinging, plating four runs in the top of the first inning. Easton Foudray led off with a single, while Landyn Johnson and Tyson Gilbert each drew walks to load the bases. A wild pitch brought in the first run, and an RBI single by Avery Hangman extended the lead. Nate Hall capped the inning with an RBI triple to give Tea a 4-0 advantage.

Aberdeen answered quickly, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first and taking a 5-4 lead in the second after a two-run home run. The back-and-forth battle continued as the Titans tied the game at 5-5 in the third inning on a bases-loaded walk by Blake Gabbert.

Aberdeen regained momentum with two runs in the third and added two more in the fourth to build a 9-5 lead. Tea chipped away, scoring twice in the fifth on an RBI single by Johnson and a wild pitch, cutting the deficit to 9-7.

Trailing 10-7 in the seventh inning, the Titans mounted a late rally. RBI singles from Tyson Gilbert and Ethan Knettel helped tie the game at 10-10, but Aberdeen responded in the bottom half. With the bases loaded, a walk-off single secured the 11-10 win for Aberdeen.

On the mound for the Titans was Knettel and Hall. Knettel had one strike-out and Hall two. 

The Titans bounced back in a big way in game two, putting together an offensive explosion in a 23-10 victory. Tea struck early once again, scoring two runs in the first inning on an RBI single by Gilbert and a sacrifice fly from Knettel. After Aberdeen briefly took a 4-2 lead, the Titans responded in the second inning to tie the game, then broke it open in the fourth.

A combination of timely hitting and Aberdeen errors fueled a seven-run fourth inning for Tea. Zach Rieland delivered a key two-run single, while Hall added an RBI walk to push the Titans ahead 9-4.

Aberdeen battled back to tie the game at 9-9 in the bottom of the fourth, but Tea responded with a decisive 14-run sixth inning. The Titans capitalized on walks and defensive miscues while stringing together multiple hits. RBI singles from Knettel, Hangman, Hall, and Zach Pies highlighted the outburst, along with several bases-loaded walks.

Tyson Gilbert capped the inning with a two-run single, giving Tea a commanding 23-9 lead. Aberdeen added one run in the bottom of the sixth, but the Titans closed out the game to secure the win.

Foudray and Miles Jelen handled pitching duties, each recording two strike-outs. 

The Titans carried that momentum into Saturday, May 2, where they swept a doubleheader against Huron, winning 5-3 and 6-4.

In the opener, Tea Area broke a scoreless tie in the second inning when Pies doubled and later scored on a double by Foudray. Huron answered in the third to take a 2-1 lead, but the Titans responded in the fourth inning capitalizing on defensive miscues. Tea Area plated three runs in the frame, highlighted by a two-run single from Gilbert to regain a 4-2 advantage.

The Titans added an insurance run in the sixth when Johnson drove in Pies, extending the lead to 5-2. Huron scratched across a run late, but Tea Area held on for the 5-3 victory. Bryson Prussman turned in a strong outing on the mound, recording 12 strikeouts and working through key situations to keep Huron in check.

In the second game, the Titans jumped out early, scoring twice in the first inning behind RBI singles from Hangman and Hall. Tea Area added two more runs in the fourth, taking advantage of errors and aggressive baserunning to build a 4-0 lead.

Huron rallied in the fourth to cut the deficit to 4-3 and later tied the game in the sixth. However, Tea Area responded in the top of the seventh, pushing across two crucial runs. Gabbert drove in the go-ahead run on a groundout, and Pies added an RBI single to extend the lead to 6-4.

The Titans closed out the game in the bottom half, with Pies securing the final outs on the mound to complete the sweep. Johnson and Reece Christian also pitched in the game with Johnson recording four strike-outs and Christian one. 

The Titans traveled to Sioux Falls Washington on Tuesday, May 5 and dropped both games. Complete results will be in next week’s paper. 

Tea Area will be at Yankton on Friday, May 8 and at home on Saturday, May 9 when they take on Mitchell. Region playoffs are set begin May 15-16.