Trailing 7-6 in both the fifth and sixth innings in Dardanelle Tuesday the Bearcats had the tying run just 90 feet away but both times were unable to even the score.
Dardanelle then used a five-run bottom of the sixth to pull away for a 12-6 win.
It was a five-run top of the fifth got the Bearcats within a run of Dardanelle.
Tayden Washburn (shown) started it with an eight-pitch at bat that ended in him drawing a base on balls. Rhett Nietert reached on an error and after a one-out pitching change Jace Washburn was plunked in the head to fill the bases.
Cutler Haller drew a walk to force in Tayden Washburn and Casey Carter (3-for-4), the only Bearcat with a multiple hit day, singled home two.
A Noah Harrel single got a run home and with Clint Osborne at the plate Carter would score on a wild pitch.
Rolling the dice on a two-strike bunt that was just foul and a shot back to the mound by Jeremiah Shaw ended the inning.
Nietert (0-2), who allowed just two earned runs pitched around a Bearcat error in the bottom of the inning and the Bearcats got gifted one to start the sixth that allowed Tayden Washburn to reach.
Dylan Todd doubled Washburn to third with one out to chase the second Sand Lizard hurler and the third issued an intentional walk to Jace Washburn to fill the bases then got out of it with a strike out and a diving play by his left fielder.
In the home half of the sixth the Sand Lizards scored five times on five hits, a walk, and an error and led 12-6.
It was the second big inning of the day for Dardanelle.
In the third, after Todd stole home while Jace Washburn got in a rundown and eventually stole second, the Sand Lizards used two errors, a sacrifice fly, and five hits to score four times. It might had been worse had Nietert not picked off one runner.
The Bearcats are scheduled to open conference play at Mansfield on Friday, though the weather forecast calls that into question.
BEARCATS CAN'T GET TYING RUN HOME, FALL TO DARDANELLE
