Republic exploded for six runs in the fifth inning to pull away from Neosho and pull within one win of a perfect COC season. The Lady Tigers knocked off Neosho 7-1 at on the road Thursday. That leaves Branson as the only team standing between Republic and a 7-0 Central Ozark Conference record.
Kami Holt was 3-for-4 with two runs batted in and a run scored for the Lady Tigers. Lauren Strobel, Caty Eby, Rachel Rook, and Marlee Scroggins had two hits apiece for Republic, who racked up 13 hits total.
Rachel Rook struck out 11 batters, walked just one, and allowed just one hit in picking up the win.
Emily Hall drove in the first run of the game for the Lady Tigers in the top of the first inning when she singled home Lauren Strobel.
In the fifth, Strobel, Eby, and Holt led off the inning with three straight singles. After a groundout, Ally Stolte walked. Rook and Scroggins then hit back-to-back doubles, and Ally McAtee drove home Scroggins with a single of her own.
The Lady Tigers scored in two different innings, and both times, it was leadoff hitter Lauren Strobel who set the table. Strobel’s leadoff hits in the first and fifth innings set up both Republic rallies, and for her performance, she is the Country Couture Player of the Game.
All season long, Country Couture Boutique is sponsoring a player of the game for Lady Tigers softball. Stop in to their store across from Casey’s on Highway 174 for a complete selection of softball and other Tiger and Lady Tiger apparel.
Neosho scored its only run in the 6th inning, when Rachel Rook hit the leadoff batter and, after a stolen base, the next hitter reached on an error, allowing the run to score.
Republic improved to 18-1 overall. They’re 6-0 in the conference. And they have won 11 in a row, setting a new school record for consecutive victories.
The Lady Tigers step out of COC play this weekend to compete in the Springfield Invitational.
