TODD FINISHES OFF MENA WITH 8 PITCH 7TH INNING

Dylan Todd was up against a pitch count limit when he took the mound for the seventh inning Thursday night in Mena.

The Bearcats had a comfortable 14-7 lead but Todd (shown) would have to be replaced if he threw 17 pitches, and the proceeding two innings had both taken 20 pitches after he had breezed through the first four innings, needing just 68.

Todd (1-0) needed only eight to finish off the opposing Bearcats getting two strikeouts to bring his total to 10 on the day.

Scoring four times in the first inning, the Bearcats of Booneville lead the entire way and could have ended the game early on two occasions but were unable to do so.

Rhett Nietert was hit by a pitch to start the game and Todd doubled him home then scored on a single by Washburn, who came home on a double by Casey Carter, who was sacrificed to third by Hayden Daniel and would score on a wild pitch.

For Washburn it was the start of a 3-for-4, 4 RBI day. Carter would finish 1-2 with 3 RBI and was also aboard via a walk and being hit by a pitch.

The Washburn-Carter duo drove in runs again in the second with Washburn doing so with a single and Carter with a fly ball. While Cutler Haller was drawing a base on balls Washburn would score on a wild pitch to make it 7-0.

Washburn greeted the second Mena pitcher with a bases loaded single in the third inning for his third run batted in, and with the bases still loaded Carter was hit by a pitch for a run.

Daniel, who was also 3-for-4 drove in a run with a single and Haller and Parker Smith both drew bases loaded walks – the Bearcats accepted nine walks to go with their 11 hits – to make it 12-0.

Mena got a run back in a bottom of the third that saw Clint Osborne involved in three outs and the run scoring double.

Osborne dove unsuccessfully on the double and had the ball bounce off his head. The next hitter also challenged Osborne and he caught the ball then doubled off a runner who left early from second.

The next hitter tried to stretch a single into a double but Osborne threw him out a second for his second outfield assist of the inning.

Daniel doubled home a run in the fifth to make it 13-1 but Mena kept the game going by scoring three in the bottom of the inning, combining a walk, a triple, and two errors – all after two were down – to make it 13-4.

Washburn lifted a sacrifice fly in the sixth to make it 14-4 but Mena used a triple, a walk, a pair of singles, and a sacrifice bunt to score three times to make it 14-7 before Todd induced a ground out to end the inning with two aboard.

The Bearcats will be back in action today, closing out their third straight three game week with conference foe Cedarville at the Kiersey Complex. First pitch is set for 4:30.