Ben Goodaker took another step up the ladder on Caldwell County’s career pitching wins list as the Tigers turned back Webster County 14-4 in five innings on Monday.
Goodaker allowed two earned runs on three base hits while striking out five and walking two at the VFW Ballpark in Princeton. The senior right-hander is now 6-1 this season and 18-5 all-time. That ties Elijah Sindelar for third on the Tigers’ all-time wins list for pitchers. (Gabe East is second at 24 wins while Shane Burns is first with 31.)
The Tiger offense backed Goodaker with lots of runs, using eight base hits and 12 walks to upend the visiting Trojans (7-8).
Caldwell (11-6) jumped on Webster for five runs in the first inning and never trailed.
The Trojans got to within 6-4 when they broke through for four runs in the top of the third.
However, the Tigers countered with a seven-spot in the fourth, then scored once in the fifth to end the game early o the 10-run mercy rule.
Ari Wells was 3-for-4 at the dish with five runs batted in for Caldwell. That includes a two-run double as part of the big first inning.
Brady Holeman went 2-for-2, knocked in a run and scored three times. Carter Whittington was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
Micah Austin was 2-for-3 for Webster while Jace Thurby had a double and drove in two runs.
Caldwell has taken eight straight from Webster. The Tigers have taken a 24-18 lead in the all-time series.
Caldwell will play at home again Tuesday, hosting Madisonville-North Hopkins for a 7th District date.
It will be the first district game for the Tigers. The Maroons are 3-13 overall and 2-0 in the district.
