BEARCATS FINISH WITH BEST CONFERENCE RECORD

The Booneville Bearcats closed out the regular season Friday with a 9-8 win in Paris, spoiling senior night for the Eagles.

Ironically, the game served as a senior recognition for Bearcats Blazen Jones, Mason Goers, and Casey Mattson because a scheduled senior day game against Ozark was cancelled when Thursday’s game with Paris was postponed.

That was the second time the game was moved. It was originally planned for March 11 but was snowed out.

The Bearcats (13-4, 5-1 South, 9-1 all 3A-4 games) took a 9-5 lead to the bottom of the seventh and Dax Goff got a strikeout to start the inning before an error, a walk, a single, and a double scored three runs to make it 9-8.

Goff got a strikeout with the tying run at second and the runner moved to third on a pickoff attempt before Goff stuck out the next hitter to leave him 90 feet away.

Goff got his second save of the season with five strikeouts, making a winner of Brooks Herrera .

Herrera (5-1) allowed five runs, three earned over five innings and had also helped himself in the top of the sixth.

Dylan Todd worked a walk to start the inning and Blazen Jones put down a bunt that was fielded then thrown into centerfield. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position and Herrera sent a ball down the left field line to score both with Herrera taking second on a throw home.

Goff (2-for-4) singled to score Herrera to make it 8-5 before a line drive double play ended the frame.

Paris had a man aboard on an error to start the sixth against Goff by Rylen Ray threw him out attempting to steal and Goff struck out the next two.

The Bearcats scored what would be the decisive run in the top of the seventh. Dunn Daniel (2-for-3) walked and Jace Washburn (2-for-4) reached on an error but Daniel was later out trying to score on a passed ball. Washburn would later score on a wild pitch to make it 9-5.

Paris scored scored the first run of the game on a single after a walk, stolen base, and an error but the Bearcats led 4-1 after batting in the second.

An error allowed Todd to reach and score Daniel, who had led off with a single. With two down Ray (2-for-4) singled home two and Goff followed with another run scoring single.

A wild pitch contributed to Paris runs in both the third and fourth to cut it to 4-3.

Washburn delivered a two out single in the fifth to score Cody Elliot (shown), running for Ray, who had led off the inning with a single.

A two run home run in the bottom of the inning tied the game at 5-5.

The Bearcats finish the regular season with the best conference record but, because only division games figure into district tournament seeding, will be the two seed from the South for the tournament which starts tomorrow in Cedarville.

The Bearcats will face the winner of Charleston and Waldron at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday with a regional berth on the line. The winner of the Wednesday game advances to take on Paris at 630 Thursday.