Republic’s softball team honored its seniors with a dominant 13-3 victory over Waynesville Tuesday night at home. The win improved the Lady Tigers’ record to 6-2 overall and 2-1 in conference play.
All seven seniors saw action on their special night. Annabelle Gerhardt-Hobbs led the offensive charge, going 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Addison Walker and Brooklyn Reed each drove in two runs. Paige Elsenraat crossed the plate twice, while Lilli Richardson contributed a base hit. Cass Ellison reached base three times and scored once. Ashland Schaumann added an RBI double and a run scored.
Junior Addie Brown also had a big night, going 3-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs.
Republic jumped out to a quick lead with five runs in the first inning. After Waynesville narrowed the gap with a three-run homer in the fourth, Republic responded with eight more runs in the bottom half of the inning to secure the win.
Piper Dishman pitched four innings, allowing three runs and striking out four. Kara Goeke closed out the game with a scoreless fifth inning.
Coach Lee Dishman reflected on the impact of this senior class.
“They just continue to build the foundation of Republic softball,” Dishman said. “These girls are competitors and they keep fighting, and they’re quality kids… Their GPAs are out of this world, so they’ve been great products of Republic High School.”
Dishman, who has coached many of the seniors players since they were in elementary school, said coaching them through the years has been “fun. I’ve watched these girls grow up and become amazing young women,” he said. “They’ve been through the gauntlet of varsity softball. They know what to expect out of me, and I know what to expect out of them. It’s just been a good experience for all of us, I believe.”
Republic will look to build on the momentum from Tuesday’s win at Lebanon on Thursday.