Nixa’s Chloe Krans hit a solo homer in the top of the seventh inning to lift the Lady Eagles past Republic 7-6. Krans’s second home run of the night was the final momentum swing in a back-and-forth COC battle in Republic Tuesday.
Republic had grabbed an early 2-0 lead in the first inning, but single runs by Nixa in the third and fifth innings tied the score. Nixa scored four more to seemingly take control in the top of the sixth inning, only to see Republic answer with four runs in the bottom of the sixth, tying the game before Krans broke the tie for the last time.
Ella Tattershall and Mara Lakey each had two base hits for Republic. Lakey and EmmaLee Essary had two RBI apiece.
In the bottom of the first inning, Republic got RBI hits from Lakey and Essary to take a 2-0 lead. Nixa scored six unanswered runs to grab a 6-2 lead before Republic got on the board again.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Ella Young led off with a double and Tattershall singled her to third before Lakey hit an RBI single. Essary drove in a run on a hard ground ball , and Annabelle Gerhardt-Hobbs followed that up with an RBI single to make the score 6-5. Republic tied the score on an RBI groundout by Emma Robinson.
After Krans gave Nixa a 7-6 lead, Belcher led off the bottom of the seventh inning with an infield single. But after Young struck out, Tattershall grounded the ball to the first baseman, who stepped on the base and threw to second base, where the shortstop tagged out Belcher, ending the game.
Republic falls to 13-7 overall (4-2 in the COC). The Lady Tigers travel to Webb City Thursday.
