Ryan Cape roped a two-out, two-run single into left field in the 8th inning as Republic knocked off Hillcrest 3-2 for its second extra-inning win in a row. Chandler Coates turned in a gem of a performance to get the win on the mound, and the defense threw out two runners at the plate as the Tigers improved to 4-1. (See video highlights below.)
“We’ve got four wins, and we’ve battled back from behind on three of them,” says coach Howard Quigley. “There’s a lot of character involved in that. There’s that personality in there that they don’t want to get beat, and that’s a great tool to work with.”
Republic broke a scoreless tie in the top of the 5th inning when Zac Crowley led off with a single and Austin Atkins singled home a pinch runner later in the inning.
Hillcrest fought back to tie it in the 6th. Nathan White reached base on a dropped third strike to lead off the inning and advanced to second on a groundout. Josh Henderson grounded to shortstop and appeared to be out at first, but was ruled safe, giving Hillcrest runners at first and third with one out. When Hillcrest attempted a squeeze play, Coates charged in, flipped the ball to catcher Gage Morris, and cut off the tying run for the second out. But a two-out single by Thomas Barrett scored the tying run before Coates got a groundout to end the inning.
“He’s never going to give in,” Quigley says of Coates. “He’s going to compete all the way through. Even though he got in trouble in the 6th inning, he stayed out and competed. He went back out in the 7th inning and looked better than he’d looked all night.”
In the top of the eighth, Jake Smith doubled with one out and went to third on a wild pitch while Regan Butterworth walked. After Morris struck out, Ryan Cape ripped a line drive into left field, scoring Smith and Butterworth to give the Tigers a 3-1 lead.
Hillcrest scored one run off Jansen McQuerter in the bottom of the eighth, but he held on to preserve the victory and pick up the save.
Coates pitched seven innings, striking out eight and walking just one. He allowed six hits and lowered his earned run average to 0.82.
