Jace Washburn made his 2024 pitching debut Monday with four and two thirds innings of hitless relief in a 12-8 win over Pottsville.
Washburn (1-0) came on with the bases loaded and one out in the top of the second. The first batter he faced would require 10 pitches but resulted in a line drive to Parker Smith in right field and a double play at second.
Washburn walked a man – Bearcat pitching issued 11 walks – and hit one but had that runner picked off first by catcher Dax Goff to escape damage in the third with Pottsville leading 4-1.
Pottsville had led 4-0 behind a home run and four RBIs over two innings by the number three hitter.
Once given the lead Washburn set down 10 of 12, interrupted only by a pair of walks. He would depart after throwing 70 pitches.
Offensively Ry Ray, Goff, and Dylan Todd all drove in three runs as the Bearcats won a fifth straight game. There were three home runs and three sacrifices involved as the Bearcats scored 12 unanswered runs.
The Bearcats got their first run in the bottom of the second on Ray’s first home run of the season – a second was coming – a shot to center field, where Goff’s bid for one had been pulled back.
On their way to a fifth straight win the Bearcats took the lead in the third. An error allowed Rhett Nietert to reach. Todd doubled him home and after a Goff single and a pickoff throw went into left field Todd scored.
Ray (shown at second base) followed with a two run home run and it was 5-4.
In the fourth Conner Lentz and Nietert greeted an Apache reliever with consecutive singles and after a Todd sacrifice Goff singled both home to make it 7-4.
A hit batter and a walk filled the bases and a walk drawn by Smith forced in a run and it was 8-4.
Lentz reached on an error to start the Bearcat fifth and after he swiped second Nietert bunted him to third. Todd put down another bunt on which Pottsville had no play to score the run and it was 9-4.
Although Todd got caught off first and was tagged out in a rundown, Goff followed with his third home run of the year to make it 10-4.
Pottsville issued an intentional walk to Ray and got out of the inning without further damage.
The Bearcats would stretch the lead to 12-4 in the sixth and had an opportunity to end the game early. Noah Harrel drove in one run with a single and a fly ball by Todd scored another, but the Bearcats left the bases full.
Five straight Apaches reached to start the seventh on a hit batter, two walks, a single, and a two-error play that saw three score, before an infield fly ball finally got an out.
A one-out single made it 12-8 before Nietert got another shallow fly ball and a strikeout to end it.
The Bearcats are scheduled to return to Conference 3A-4 play in Danville today.
