If the Lady Tigers were disheartened by a rough weekend at a premier softball tournament in Oklahoma, they didn't show it. Republic blitzed Carl Junction with eight runs in the first inning, including home runs by Julia Higgins and Kami Holt, on the way to an 18-0 win to open the Central Ozark Conference season.
Higgins got the party started on the first delivery she saw from Carl Junction pitcher Hannah Carnes, ripping her first home run of the season deep over the left-field fence to make it 3-0.
“I thought I popped it up, honestly,” says Higgins. “(Dishman) was yelling at me to run, but then it wasn’t popped up, so it was good.”
Later in the inning, Holt, who had doubled to lead off, crushed a grand slam far beyond the fence to dead center. Holt's home run was her second of the season. It was also the 21st of her career, tying a school record set by Hailey Johnson in 2009. Both Holt and Johnson are now tied for 10th all-time on Missouri's high school softball career home run list.
“It’s awesome,” Holt says of her home run record. “I’m in shock. I can’t believe that happened.”
When she began appearing in varsity games as a pinch-runner during her freshman year, she says she had no idea how her home run hitting would develop. “I was so small, but as I grew up, I kind of saw it coming, once I kept hitting them,” she says.
Republic banged out 14 hits for the game. Holt, Sydney Phillips, Taylor Hulland, Higgins, and Alyssa Roth had two apiece. Holt also walked twice and scored four runs.
Higgins says the first-inning outburst was a key after the Lady Tigers lost three games over the weekend in Oklahoma.
“I think it was important for the whole team, because we were kind of down after that,” she says. “We felt like we played really good teams, and we were like, maybe we’re not going to dominate as much as we want to this year, so it was good to come out and win this one.”
Rachel Rook, spotted an eight-run lead before she even stepped into the pitching circle, had no troubles against Carl Junction. She struck out 12 and allowed only one base hit. She didn't allow a runner to reach third base all night.
Republic improves to 5-3 this season. They are 1-0 in conference play, and they travel to Webb City next Tuesday.