Going into the Class 3A Region 1 Tournament third place game Saturday senior Noah Harel had not had but one at bat since April 11. On Saturday he was 1-for-4 with an RBI single and scored the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh inning.
Harrel had never thrown a pitch in a varsity game before Saturday. But with one down in the seventh inning and the Bearcat (16-10) leading 8-6, Harrel got a ground ball out and a strike out to earn a save for Jace Washburn.
Harrel was pressed into duty because Washburn, the Bearcat starter, threw his 111th pitch to retire the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the seventh and had to come out due to the pitch count rule.
Washburn (7-5) had allowed nine hits and six runs but had also struck out nine Patriot hitters.
Washburn also had a huge day at the plate. After ending an 0-for-11 streak on Friday – he had been 1-for-15 since a four hit day in the district semifinals – Washburn was 3-for-4 with 3 RBI, twice delivering go-ahead runs batted in.
Providence led 5-4 when Rhett Nietert led off the sixth with a walk and Dylan Todd followed with a double that hit third base. Washburn singled both home for a 6-5 lead but the Bearcats, despite another walk before an out was recorded, could not add to the lead.
Providence was able to tie the game in the bottom of the inning when a ball back to the mound got away from Washburn but he retired the next hitter on a fly ball to Sadler Miller in left field to keep it tied.
Clint Osborne greeted the third Patriot pitcher of the day with a double to start the top of the seventh and Harrel, attempting to sacrifice, reached on an error but Osborne was not able to advance.
Nietert (2-for4) singled to load the bases but Todd hit into a force play with Osborne out at home to bring up Washburn, who got a suicide squeeze (shown) down that easily scored Harrel to make it 7-6.
Casey Carter (2-for-3) drove a ball between short and third for his second hit of the day that scored Nietert to make it 8-6.
Down 2-0 the Bearcats tied it when Miller scored on a wild pitch and Harrel singled home a run in the second then went in front when Miller drew his second base on balls, this one forcing in a run for a 3-2 lead in the third.
Providence put five of their first six aboard in the home half of the third – the only out was a sacrifice bunt – and went in front 5-3 but Washburn got out of it with back-to-back strikeouts.
Osborne drew a bases loaded walk to score a run in the fifth but the Bearcats left the bases loaded and Washburn delivered his first go-ahead RBI in the sixth.
Greenland 2 Bearcats 1 (8 innings)
On Friday Dylan Todd threw a masterpiece, allowing six hits with two walks and five strikeouts over seven full innings and 107 pitches.
Unfortunately the senior got a no decision as the Bearcats would fall 2-1 in eight innings.
The Bearcats took a 1-0 first inning lead when Nietert walked, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Todd, and scored on a Casey Carter single.
Greenland threatened in the third but, with two in scoring position, Todd got an infield popup to Cutler Haller, fittingly since Haller found himself in traffic on a foul popup with the same hitter at the plate, to end the inning.
The Pirates would not have two aboard again until the winning single in the eighth.
Haller reached on an error in the fifth but after a sacrifice bunt an out on the base paths short circuited the inning.
Greenland used a leadoff walk, a single and a fly ball to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth.
In the top of the eighth the Bearcats got a one-out single from Washburn, Carter reached on an error, and a Hayden Daniel (3-for-4) single to load the bases but a ground ball force at the plate and a fly ball got the Pirates out of the inning.
With one down in the bottom of the eighth the Pirates got a baserunner via an error and two hits later the game was over.
As the three seed from Region 1 the Bearcats will face Walnut Ridge, the two seed from Region 2, in the opening round of the Class 3A State Tournament in Greenland at 12:30 on Thursday.
