Dunn Daniel drove in the tying run with a fifth inning ground out, then punctuated an 8-2 win over Fouke with a two run triple in the sixth inning of an opening round win in the Class 3A state tournament late Thursday night.

The game, originally set for 5:30 in Farmington, had a 9:02 p.m. first pitch at Shiloh Christian’s Servant Field in Springfield.

The win moves the Bearcats to 18-8 on the season and into the quarterfinals against Harding Academy at 12:30 Friday afternoon. Harding, the two time defending 3A champions, beat Walnut Ridge 6-0 Thursday.

Fouke had used a Bearcat error, a walk, and one of their four base hits to tie the game against Brooks Herrera in the top of the fifth. The Panthers then took a 2-1 lead on a passed ball.

Herrera (7-4) got out of the inning with two of his seven strikeouts.

Herrera also led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a bunt single and took second on a throwing error. It was just the second Bearcat hit to that point with the other being by Ry Ray (2-for-3).

A walk to Rhett Nietert brought up Dax Goff, who drew one of his four walks to fill the bases.

Daniel (shown) then grounded out for the second out but stayed out of a double play while Herrera scored and it was 2-2.

Jace Washburn and Ray delivered back-to-back two out doubles to make it 5-2 with Washburn driving in two and Ray’s scoring Washburn.

Staked to a three run lead, Herrera got the first two Panther hitters in the sixth but reached the 110-pitch limit on the next hitter, who reached on the third Bearcat error, and had to be lifted.

Goff came on and got the lead off hitter to ground to Nietert to end the inning.

Herrera doubled with one down in the bottom of the sixth and scored on a Nietert single. After Goff drew another walk, Daniel delivered his first extra base hit of the year, a triple to right, to make it 8-2.

Goff, who earned his second save, retired the first two Panthers in the seventh before a walk and a single, but the game ended with the hitter thrown out trying to reach second while the throw went to third as Ray threw a dart back to Peyton Tatum for the out.

Before Fouke took its short -ived lead, the Bearcats had led 1-0 on an unearned run in the third. Goff, Tatum, and Daniel had all walked with two gone and Goff scored on a passed ball.