Bell County coach Tom Greer had been waiting for a breakout performance from his offense. He got it Tuesday in a 10-run third inning that propelled the visiting Bobcats to a 16-3 win over Harlan in a five-inning game.

"We got a couple of hits, then it seemed like we relaxed and really started hitting," Greer said. "The third inning was a big inning."

Leading only 2-0 when the inning began, Bell sent 15 batters to the plate and recorded seven hits, two hit batsmen and one walk.

Earl Helton opened the inning with a walk and took second on Coley Simpson's single. After Clay Carroll flied out, Derrick Goodin and Shawn Hoskins were hit by pitches from Harlan starter Bradley Guyn to force in a run. An RBI single by Chris Fuson spelled the end for Guyn, who gave up six runs on three hits in 2 1/3 innings.

Scott Goodin greeted new Harlan pitcher Randy Blakley with a single to left. A wild pitch pushed the lead to 6-0.

After getting Steven Hunter to hit into a force out at the plate on a ground ball back to him, Blakley surrendered consecutive hits to Hoskins, Helton, Simpson and Carroll to make the score 10-0. Two straight errors brought in the final two runs of the inning.

Two hit batsmen and a single by Derrick Goodin helped Bell take a 2-0 lead in the second inning.

Bell added two more runs in the fourth. Hunter reached on a wild pitch after a strikeout and Hoskins was hit by a pitch. A wild pitch plated one run, and Carroll's RBI single pushed the lead to 14-0.

Harlan broke through for its first hits in the fourth inning as Logan Curry and Shaun Browning had back-to-back singles with one out. A bases loaded walk to Guyn forced in one run, and another scored on Kevin Harris' sacrifice fly.

Greer went to his bench in the fifth inning as Adam Jackson, Jonathon Marsee and Hunter each had singles as Bell extended its advantage to 16-2 with two runs against John Smith, the third Harlan pitcher.

Harris reached on an error with two outs in the fifth, took third on Curry's single and scored on a wild pitch.

Jimmy Wilder started on the mound for Bell and pitched two shutout innings. Carroll claimed the win as he gave up two runs in two innings. Helton allowed one run in one inning.

Bell evened its record at 3-3 while Harlan fell to 0-5 and gave coach Murph Howard plenty of reason for worry heading into today's game at Middlesboro.

"The mistakes don't worry me as much as how we're making them," Howard said. "Some of them don't look good at all at the plate. We're too laid back and a step slow."

Bell County 02(10) 22 16 12 2

Harlan 000 21 3 3 3

Wilder, Carroll (3), Helton (5) and Hoskins; Guyn, Blakley (3), Smith (5) and Howard, Harris (1). WCarroll. LGuyn (0-1).