Addison Walker singled and scored a run to lead off the game at Springfield Glendale, and that wasn’t even the highlight of her first inning. The Lady Tigers batted around and Walker did something even bigger in her second plate appearance — slugging a three-run homer that gave Republic an 8-0 lead before Glendale even came to bat.
Republic used three big rallies — eight runs in the first, four in the fourth, and five in the fifth — to dismantle Glendale 17-0 in a cross-division Central Ozark Conference game in Springfield Thursday. Walker finished 3-for-3 with four runs scored and three runs batted in. Piper Dishman pitched three scoreless innings to earn the win, and also went 4-for-4 at the plate with four runs batted in. Annabelle Gerhardt-Hobbs and Addie Brown also added home runs and drove in three runs for the Lady Tigers. Cass Ellison added two base hits, scored twice, and had an RBI.
A play in the fourth inning was indicative of how things went for Republic all night. With a runner at second and one out, a pitch hit Gerhardt-Hobbs, but the umpire ruled it did not hit her. Instead of taking first base, Gerhardt-Hobbs stepped back in the box and promptly lined a home run over the left field fence.
Dishman worked three innings, allowed three hits, and struck out six. Kara Goeke pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, striking out two and not allowing a baserunner.
The win improves Republic’s record to 11-4. The Lady Tigers play in the Park Hill South Tournament this weekend.