BEARCATS FALL AT HUNTS PARK WEDNESDAY

For the second straight year weather wreaked havoc on the District 3A-4 tournament and for the second straight year the Bearcats lost on a borrowed field.

Last year host Cedarville had to move some games to Hackett. This year it was Cossatot hosting and moving games to Hunt’s Park in Fort Smith.

There yesterday the Danville Little Johns scored four times in the top of the seventh and held on for a 7-6 win after the Bearcats scored two in the bottom of the seventh and had the tying and winning runs in scoring position.

Brooks Herrera (5-3) struck out eight but took the tough luck loss after running out of pitches on a second walk to start the seventh.

Jace Washburn got the first out of the seventh on a sacrifice but a throwing error got two runs rather than one and after an infield single and two were down, another infield single scored a run and a balk called with a runner in right field got another to make it 7-4.

Ry Ray reached on an error to open the bottom of the seventh and with one away David Hicks singled on the infield with Ray, who had moved up on two wild pitches, scoring.

Herrera followed with a double to make it 7-6 and Rhett Nietert was hit by a pitch.
Both stole bases but the Bearcats (14-6) could not get a hit to tie it or win it.

Danville had scored once in the first without a hit but the Bearcats went in front 2-1 in the bottom of the inning.

With two down Dax Goff walked and Peyton Tatum hit a ball that was smothered for an infield single. Dunn Daniel lifted a fly that fell for a single to score one and a throwing error got a second but Dunn was thrown out trying to reach third.

The Bearcats made it 4-1 in the second with two walks and three hit batters, one of which was Goff and scored a run. The other run came home on a ground ball by Herrera.

Danville used a walk and three straight hits to cut it to 4-3 in the third and the score was unchanged until the seventh, though the Bearcats would three times strand two runners on the way to the seventh.

The loss drops the Bearcats, the unbeaten regular season champions, into the third place game at 9 a.m. on Friday. That game, against Charleston or Paris, will also be played at Hunt’s Park.

A win makes the Bearcats the three seed and means a 5:30 p.m. game in Harrison in the Class 3A Region 1 tournament. A loss would relegate the Bearcats to the four seed and a 10 a.m. game.