Last Friday the Bearcat baseball team clinched a share of a conference title. On Monday the clinch was for an outright title. Yesterday a 17-2 win in Subiaco completed a perfect conference season.
So coaches are satisfied after the 8-0 3A-4 mark and 11 straight wins? Not quite.
Head coach Arron Kimes reminded his team after the game that last year’s team won the regular season but failed to win the district tournament and went into the Class 3A Region 1 tournament as a three seed.
That district tournament is set for next week in Danville. The regional, a berth for which the Bearcats are already assured, is the following week in Harrison.
The conference finale with the Trojans featured plenty of weirdness, the least of which was the 4 p.m. starting time due to the field having no lights, though that may be coming.
The top of the first saw a pickoff play that eventually saw two Bearcats out on the bases and the first three Bearcat at bats would see an out on the basepaths.
Also atypical, Brody Chambers (shown) scored four times, though he was 0-for-1 at the plate.
Chambers was the courtesy runner for catcher Rylen Ray and Ray, who had one hit, reached on a fielder’s choice, was walked once, and was hit by a pitch resulting in three RBI for the team leader.
Ray was not the only one to walk, or be hit by a pitch. Trojan pitchers issued eight free passes on balls and six more on hit batsmen.
There was also a balk, three wild pitches, a passed ball, and four errors committed behind the Trojan pitching staff.
Through a DH/pitcher rule the Trojan designated hitter entered the game to play right field and batted for a pitcher, while the Bearcats used Jeremiah Shaw to pinch hit for their DH, Casey Carter.
Jace Washburn also had a three RBI game, on one hit. Washburn came up in the fourth with the bases loaded and a balk got one run then he followed that with a two run double. That made it 7-0 in the second.
The other scored from third on an infield error.
The Bearcats scored their 17 runs on just nine hits. Only Parker Smith had a multiple hit game going 2-for-2 with two RBI.
The 17 runs came with nobody in the top third of the lineup having an RBI and the trio managing just one hit, it by Dylan Todd.
Dax Goff (3-0) got the win, allowing two unearned runs in the third, and completing a sweep of North Logan County. He allowed just three hits, two walks, and struck out seven.
A two-out error in the third scored one run and a triple scored that runner to make it 9-2 at that point.
Goff is the first three game winner on the staff, winning at least three games for the fourth straight season.
In addition to the Bearcat base running snafu, Goff also picked off a runner, another was thrown out stealing and a highlight reel driving catch by Rhett Nietert.
The Bearcats are scheduled to host Mena on Thursday and visit Greenland on Friday.
AS HAS BEEN USUAL LATELY, BEARCATS WIN, BUT DO SO IN UNUSUAL FASHION
