DANIEL WALKS OFF WILD WIN IN DISTRICT TOURNAMENT

The Booneville Bearcats may be accustomed to playing one-run games but it’s likely nobody is accustomed to the bizarreness that was Wednesday’s 5-4 win over Charleston in the District 3A-4 tournament in Cedarville.

Dunn Daniel delivered a bases loaded walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh inning to send the Bearcats to a district tournament semifinals against Paris today at 6:30, but that was far from the weird part.

The game winner, which makes the Bearcats (14-4) 4-2 in one run games made a winner of Brooks Herrera (shown checking on a runner).

Herrera (6-1) was at 105 pitches at that point, with eight of those having hit Charleston batters. He pitched around the hit batters, the four hits he surrendered, and a couple of errors behind him to allow just four runs, only one of which was earned.

There were four hit batters – two twice with two outs – and a single in the first three innings but the Tigers were unable to take advantage of the scoring opportunities.

The third inning in particular saw exactly five pitches in five batters with the hitters retired on first pitches and the two hit batters struck on first pitches as well.

Meanwhile the Bearcats had managed just a third inning leadoff walk through three innings.

Things tilted toward odd in the fourth when the Tigers used a walk, hit batter, and another walk to load the bases – Herrera walked just those two – then a misplayed ground ball scored two.

A balk call – there were three total in the game – scored a run and a single, the only hit of the inning, scored another one and the Bearcats were down 4-0.

Ray led off the bottom of the fourth with a double, advanced to third on a passed ball and scored when a throw to third became an error.

Dax Goff tripled and was still at third after Peyton Tatum drew a walk. A balk on the Tiger pitcher scored Goff to make it 4-2. An error cut the deficit to one and a ground ball out and subsequent throwing error -- the third of the inning -- scored Jace Washburn to tie it.

Dylan Todd and Blazen Jones then delivered singles and a walk to Herrera filled the bases but the Bearcats left them standing.

Charleston began the fifth with back-to-back singles – their last hits of the night – but Herrera got out of it with a strikeout, a pop out, and a fly out.

The Bearcats got a single from Goff (2-for-3) to open the bottom of the inning but the next three were retired.

Then it got really strange.

A hit batter and a second Bearcat error had two Tigers in scoring position but Herrera induced a ball back to the mound and retired the first runner trying to score.

There were still two in scoring position when a dropped third strike meant Ray had to throw to Matt O’Bar at first for the second out and O’Bar relayed home with Herrera covering to complete the atypical 2-3-1 double play to end the inning.

Next, the Charleston starter, who had allowed just five hits, was injured warming up, apparently landing awkwardly on the mound.

The Tiger reliever got two strikeouts but the ball was dropped on the third and the tag sent the batter to the ground touching off multiple ejections and a threat of forfeit if they refused to leave.

Once play resumed, a strikeout ended the inning.

A hit batter started the Charleston seventh but Herrera struck out the next three and had enough pitches for one batter, possibly two if the game went to an eighth inning.

After a strikeout started the bottom of the inning, Ray (2-for-4) delivered his second double of the game, Goff was intentionally walked, and Tatum was unintentionally put on to fill the bases for Daniel.

The win clinches a spot in next week’s Class 3A-4 Class 3A Region 1 tournament in Greenland. Tournament play begins on Thursday.