Republic’s bats and gloves failed them in a 6-2 loss to Kennett (Class 4, No. 3) Wednesday at Nixa. The Tigers managed just four base hits and committed seven errors in the loss.
Gavyn Beckner pitched well, despite suffering the loss. He worked five innings and allowed three runs — just two of them earned — on five base hits. He struck out six and walked two. Kennett scored two runs off Beckner in the top of the first inning and a single run in the third, taking a 3-0 lead before Republic finally got on the board.
Republic scored its two runs in the bottom of the third. Wyatt Woods singled and Andrew Schroeder doubled to left field, with Woods advancing to third base. With two out, Gunner Ellison drove in both runners with a hit, cutting Kennett’s lead to 3-2.
It was a one-run game until the top of the sixth, when Kennett added three more runs off relief pitcher Mason Mitchell. Only two of the runs were earned.
Republic’s best chance to get back in the game came in the bottom of the sixth inning, when Garrett Lester led off the inning with a single, but the 2-3-4 hitters in the lineup — Ellison, Beckner, and Trace Harrington — were retired in order. The Tigers went in order in the seventh inning, as well.
Kennett improved to 7-0. The loss dropped Republic to 4-2. The Tigers host Liberty North Thursday.