Republic overcame a slow start to beat Nixa 8-5 Tuesday, spoiling the Eagles’ Senior Night. Caide White was dominating through the middle innings after Nixa grabbed an early lead, holding the door open for a Republic comeback.
Nixa jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning, but White limited the damage. With the bases loaded, White induced a 6-4-3 double play off the bat of Jack Edwards to end the threat. White settled in after that, allowing just one hit over the next five innings while striking out five. During one stretch, he retired eight straight batters and 12 out of 13.
Down 2-0, Republic chipped away with single runs in the third, fifth and sixth innings. In the third, Garrett Lester walked and later scored on Jackson Overstreet’s RBI single. Trace Harrington tied it 2-2 in the fifth, scoring on Wyatt Woods’ single. Brett Hendrickson followed with an RBI hit to give Republic a 3-2 lead. Ryder Davis’ single and Devon Hughes’ sac fly made it 4-2 in the sixth.
Woods and Lester sparked the Republic offense. Woods went 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, while Lester was 2-for-3 with a run, two RBIs and two walks.
Republic broke it open with four runs in the seventh. Overstreet walked. Woods singled to right field. Cooper Pilkinton drove home Overstreet with a double and Woods advanced to third. That made the score 5-2. Carter Nation singled home Woods, one of his two hits on the night. That made it 6-2. Garrett Lester followed that up with a double that scored Pilkinton and pinch runner Mason Fleetwood, putting Republic ahead 8-2.
White hit the pitch limit in the seventh, giving way to Harrington. Despite allowing two base runners, Harrington got the final two outs for the save. The Eagles had the tying run at the plate when the game ended.
White earned the win, permitting two earned runs on four hits over 6 1/3 innings.
The victory improves Republic to 15-12 on the season, while Nixa drops to 17-14.
