It wasn’t always easy, but the Lady Tigers held off every opponent on the way to an undefeated weekend and a championship at the Ozark Fall Festival Tournament. After winning two games on Friday, Republic toppled Logan-Rogersville 8-4 in the semifinals, then followed that up with a 5-2 win over Ozark in the championship game Saturday.
Republic 8 Rogersville 4
In the semifinal, Republic jumped on top, but Rogersville clawed back to tie the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the 4th inning. Lauren Strobel says the team kept a positive attitude, even when the game got close in the later innings.
“We just tried to keep it up as much as we could for our hitters–make them feel like we supported them all the way, and give them the push they needed to get the job done while they were up there,” she says.
Ally Stolte reached base four times and drove in two runs. Ally McAtee was 2-for-4, and came through with a big two-run base hit in the 5th, an inning after Rogersville had tied the game.
“I was just thinking I need to drive this ball somewhere,” McAtee says. “It was a lower outside pitch, which she had been throwing all game, and I hadn’t been hitting it very well. I was doing my best to adjust, and I guess I did.”
The bottom five in the batting order scored six of the Lady Tigers’ eight runs against Rogersville. McAtee says the lower half of the lineup takes its job seriously, even when the top of the order–Lauren Strobel, Caty Eby, Kami Holt, and Emily Hall–is getting a lot of the attention.
“When they don’t do it, it’s our responsibility to help pick up for them and help get them going, and keep them from getting down on themselves,” McAtee says.
McAtee’s two-out hit made the score 5-3, and Republic never looked back, adding three more in the 6th inning before the second Rogersville home run made the score 8-4, where it ended.
Rachel Rook allowed four runs on seven hits and walked a batter, but still struck out seven in picking up the win. Rogersville hit two home runs off Rook, the first she has allowed all season.
Republic 5 Ozark 2
In the title game, Ozark loaded the bases in the bottom of the 7th, bringing the potential winning run to the plate, but Lauren Chambers hit a hard ground ball to Strobel, who stepped on third base for a force out to end the game.
Strobel and Emily Hall led the offense against Ozark with three base hits apiece. Rook and Stolte had two hits each.
Rook struck out nine, walked two, and allowed seven base hits.
For the Lady Tigers, it was the second win in a week over Ozark, a team that had beaten them three times last season. The win pushes Republic’s record to 13-1 this season.
The Lady Tigers host Nixa in a big Central Ozark Conference showdown Tuesday at 5 pm.
