BEARCATS DOMINATE PARIS BEHIND HERRERA

The Booneville Bearcats handled Paris in the regular season for the third straight year, pounding the Eagles 15-1 at the Billy Kiersey/Baseball Softball Complex Friday afternoon.

Finally playing a home game after opening the season on the road for four straight games, the Bearcats (3-2, 2-0 Conference 3A-4) did so with Brooks Herrera (shown) (1-1) spinning a three-hitter with nine strikeouts and just one walk.

Already leading 3-1, the Bearcats battered three Paris pitchers for 11 runs on eight hits in the third on the way to the run-rule win.

It was Dax Goff getting it started with a solo home run – his third round-tripper of the year – to open the inning.

After singles by Peyton Tatum and Dunn Daniel – the later on a fortuitous hop near second base, Jace Washburn drove in a run with a hit, David Hicks with hit by a pitch to chase the starter. Conner Lentz greeted the second hurler with a two run single to left and it was 7-1.

Herrera helped his cause with a two-run single for a 9-1 edge and after Rhett Nietert singled and took an extra base, Goff was intentionally walked to reload the bases.

Walks to Tatum and Daniel made it 11-1 and a ball to the backstop brought in a run and a mid-at bat pitching change. Another ball got away and made it 13-1 before Matt O’Bar singled home another run to make it an 11-run inning.

Nietert put on a baserunning clinic in the fifth. He first turned a soft single into a double then scored on an infield single by Tatum and it was 15-1.

Paris had gotten to Herrera for a first inning run putting together an infield single and a triple with two down, but the Bearcats answered with three in the bottom of the inning.

Herrera got it started with a leadoff single and later stole second, then scored on Nietert’s first of three hits.

Goff followed with a single and Tatum reached on a dropped third strike. A wild pitch and a Daniel ground out plated the runs.

The Bearcats will face conference foe Hackett on Tuesday at home.