Trace Harrington delivered possibly the best all-around performance in Republic baseball history on Wednesday, leading the Tigers to a 12-1 victory over Carthage at Joe Becker Stadium in Joplin. The senior went 4-for-4 at the plate with three home runs, a single, a walk, and nine RBIs, reaching base safely in all five plate appearances. In addition to his dominance at the plate, Harrington also pitched six innings, allowing one unearned run, to pick up the win on the mound.
Harrington’s three home runs tied the Republic single-game mark set by Beau Davis against Ash Grove in 1998. His nine RBIs are tied for ninth-most in a game, according to the Missouri State High School Activities Association record book online. His 13 total bases are tied for seventh-most in a single game.
After homering Tuesday against Joplin, Harrington said he was “ready to go” when Wednesday’s game began. “Finally a warm game so I felt loose and relaxed. I feel like the home run yesterday definitely carried over. I’ve been starting to just think less at the plate,” he said.
Harrington got ahead in the count on his first two home run at-bats. “I was in a hitters count and was sitting fastball and that’s what he gave me,” he said. The first homer came on a fastball low and away; the second — a grand slam in the fifth — was on a fastball up and in.
After his second homer, the thought of hitting a third crossed Harrington’s mind. “I wasn’t trying to do too much, but got into a good count to do some damage,” he said. “I was not expecting another fastball, but he ended up throwing me one and I got hold of it. I was pretty shocked myself, to be honest. Rounding the bases felt good, and I was just having a lot of fun. It was good to get praise from my teammates coming into home.”
Republic grabbed an early lead with two runs in the first and two in the second, and never looked back. Garrett Lester went 2-for-3 with three runs scored, while Devon Hughes scored four times. Wyatt Woods had a 2-for-4 performance with an RBI.
Preston McCracken pitched a scoreless inning in relief, walking one and striking out one.
Carthage’s only run off Harrington came in the second inning, after an error led to a sacrifice fly. Otherwise, Harrington was dominant. “The off speed was working well today. I was able to get a lot of weak contact and some balls in play to let my team behind me work. I have a lot of trust in our guys in the field and have been trying my best to pitch to contact,” he said.
Republic finished the game with 12 runs on 10 hits and one error, while Carthage scored one run on five hits and committed three errors.
The win is the second in a row for Republic, pushing their overall record to 13-9. The Tigers are 2-2 in the Central Ozark Conference.
Republic returns to action on the road Saturday with a double-header in the Kansas City area, facing Park Hill South at 12:15 and Kearney at 2:30.
