This one was a long time coming.
Republic last beat Nixa in 2015. The Tigers hadn’t shared the Central Ozark Conference championship since 2005. And Republic hadn’t won an outright COC championship since 1977.
Until Wednesday night.
With trouble brewing – the bases loaded and nobody out for Nixa in the top of the 7th inning, and the heart of Nixa’s batting order due up – Cole Iles slammed the door on years of frustration for the Tigers. He struck out Jaret Nelson, Quin Gundelfinger, and Alek Johnson in succession to end the Eagles’ rally and secure a 6-4 win for Republic.
The victory was Republic’s ninth in a row, and it pushed the Tigers’ conference record to 8-0, clinching an outright championship with one COC game left at Webb City Thursday. No other team has fewer than two losses.
Republic’s hard-hitting lineup came out swinging against Nixa’s Sam Russo. In the first inning with one out, Gavyn Beckner singled and Ryker Harrington reached on an error before Kyle Hill singled. Another base hit – by Jared Hughes – scored two runs. After Brady Usgaard walked to load the bases, Bryce Messier walked to force home a run, making the score 3-0. Russo struck out Richard Potter and Gavin Walker to leave the bases loaded.
Republic scored two more in the second inning when Ryker Harrington went deep. He skied a long fly ball just over the fence in right field to drive in Beckner and make the score 5-0.
Nixa finally got to Republic starter Jared Hughes in the third inning, scoring an unearned run to cut the lead to 5-1. But that was the only damage the Eagles would do to Hughes, who pitched five innings and struck out seven, allowing just three hits and the single unearned run.
Republic added an extra run in the bottom of the fifth. Bryce Messier, who reached base all three times he batted, led off the inning with a triple to the fence in right center. He scored on a double by Potter, and Republic led 6-1.
Nixa cut into the lead in the top of the sixth off relief pitcher Gavyn Beckner. Gundelfinger tripled with one out and scored on a groundout to make the score 6-2.
In the seventh, Nixa rallied. The first four batters of the inning reached base off Beckner – two singles, a walk to load the bases, and a two-run single by Sam Russo to cut the Republic lead to 6-4.
With runners at first and third, Iles entered the game in relief and threw four balls in a row to Ryan Retone to load the bases and put the go-ahead run on first base.
“After I walked him, it kind of hit me. I was like, ‘I’ve gotta throw strikes now,’ so I kind of took a breath and started putting it over the plate,” Iles said later. Iles struck out Nelson looking, then got Gundelfinger and Johnson swinging to end the game, setting off a celebration for the Tigers.
Beckner and Hughes each had two hits for Republic. Messier was 1-for-1 with two walks. Harrington and Beckner each had two RBIs.
“The kids have put in so much work, and I’m just so happy for them,” said coach Curt Plotner. “I couldn’t even hardly talk to them at the end of the game, because I was at a loss for words, from where we started this journey to where we are now, it’s been incredible.”
Republic’s nine-game winning streak is its longest since 2008, when the Tigers won ten in a row. If this year’s Tigers equal that win streak by beating Webb City Thursday, they will complete an undefeated conference season. Since Republic and five other charter members started competing in the Central Ozark Conference in 1967-68, Republic has never gone undefeated in league play.
