The Tigers are in the middle of their district tournament, and they’re playing some of their best baseball of the season. Republic has won four of its last five games, and the last two of those were shutouts — 15-0 against Marshfield and 5-0 in the district opener against Joplin. Trace Harrington is leading the way at the plate. After a mid-season slump that saw his batting average fall to .229, Harrington has gone six for his last 12, with two doubles, a triple, and a home run in the last four games. Republic’s only loss during that five-game stretch is a 4-3 loss on the road at state-ranked Nixa, and the Tigers lined out with the bases loaded to end that game. They’ll get another crack at the Eagles tonight in the district tournament at Joplin.
