EVERY BEARCAT IN LINEUP RECORDS A HIT IN REGIONAL SEMIFINAL WIN

Dax Goff allowed two hits over six innings and the Booneville Bearcats moved into the finals of the Class 3A Region 1 tournament with a 13-3 win over Charleston Friday at Equity Bank Sports Complex in Harrison.

Goff (4-0), who saved the opening round win over West Fork in a three strikeout, 14 pitch effort, walked three and struck out four in picking up his 10th career win.

Goff got plenty of offensive help as every hitter in the lineup contributed to a 16-hit attack especially from leadoff hitting Brooks Herrera.

The senior off the game with his fourth home run of the season, tripled In two in a six run second inning and would go 4-for-5 with a pair of stolen bases, including home during a rundown on which Rhett Nietert was safe.

Goff also got plenty of defensive highlights, including one by himself to spear a line drive to end the first inning with a 2-0 lead.

After Herrera led off the game with a solo homer, his fourth of the year, the next two Bearcats were retired.

Peyton Tatum hit the first of his two doubles and scored on a single by Dunn Daniel to make it 2-0.

It was in the second when the Bearcats (17-7) chased the Tiger starter.

Matt O’Bar and David Hicks were aboard on one out singles when Herrera tripled to double the lead. Nietert singled home Herrera and, after Goff singled, Tatum doubled again and it was 6-0.

Dunn Daniel added an RBI groundout and Jace Washburn singled home another and it was 8-0.

Tatum was hit by a pitch in the fourth and came around to score on a ground ball that allowed Washburn to reach to make it 9-0.

Charleston scored a run on a throwing error in the bottom of the inning – after O’Bar made a diving grab of a shoe-top high smash.

Nietert singled in the Bearcat fifth to chase Herrera to third and subsequently got caught in a rundown, during which Herrera scored and Nietert made it back to first and it was 10-1.

Nietert (shown getting hit by a pitch) also made a diving catch to end the Tiger fifth.

Daniel reached on a Tiger error – one of four – to open the Bearcat sixth and later scored on the second error of the frame to make it 10-1. A Ry Ray double added a run and a groundout by Hicks got another run for a 13-1 lead.

Charleston got two back on a couple of walks and a two-out double but could not force a seventh inning as Goff’s 104th pitch would be a grounder Tatum handled for the last out.

The Bearcats will face Elkins, the top seed from the 3A-1, at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the finals of the tournament to determine seeding for next week's Class 3A state tournament in Lincoln.