The Bearcat baseball team saw its 20-game winning streak come to an end in a 3-2 loss to Rivercrest in the quarterfinal round of the Class 3A state tournament at Majestic Park in Hot Springs Friday afternoon.
The Bearcats (20-6) had Rhett Nietert as the tying run at second base after being hit by a pitch to start the inning, and a potential winning run at first base in Dylan Todd who reached via catcher’s interference.
Dax Goff, who was 2-for-3 with a run batted in, hit a line drive that looked to tie the game but was instead turned into a double play and Ry Ray was retired on a fly ball to end it for the Colts.
The Colts had taken a 2-0 lead in the second inning. A single, a misplay, and a walk loaded the bases for a sacrifice fly and a two-out single got the second run.
An inning later it was a single a pair of walks and a hit batter that made it 3-0.
Jace Washburn (6-1) walked four and struck out six and allowed just two earned runs over six and a third innings.
Washburn was lifted for having met the mandatory pitch count removal during an at bat that culminated in a one-out single, just the fifth Colt hit of the day.
The Bearcats cut the deficit to 3-1 in the bottom of the third. Casey Carter (2-fo-3) singled to open the inning and a single by Nietert moved pinch runner Tayden Washburn to second. A two-out single by Goff scored the freshman Washburn.
In the sixth Ray led off with his 10th double of the season and was at third with two down when Parker Smith singled on the infield to make it 3-2. Carter followed with his second hit but Smith was left at third.
In the top of the seventh center fielder Noah Harrel tracked down a fly ball for the highlight reel catch (shown) to keep it a one run game.
BEARCAT SEASON COMES TO AN END IN QUARTERFINALS
