Missed opportunities were costly for Republic in a 3-2 loss to state-ranked Glendale on the road Friday. The Tigers out-hit the Falcons 7-2, but a late score by Glendale and stellar relief work by pitcher Sebastian Norman helped them walk away with the win.
Republic put two runners on base in the first and third innings, but failed to score either time against Glendale starter Easton Friesen. Glendale got on the board in the bottom of the third when Beau West drew a walk against Preston McCracken, advanced to second on a wild pitch, went to third on a sacrifice, and scored on a groundout by Kyle Julian.
After the Tigers left two more runners on in the fourth, Glendale added to its lead on another RBI groundout — this one by Reed Jackson. That made the score 2-0.
Republic evened the score in the top of the fifth. Jackson Overstreet and Preston McCracken each delivered RBI hits during the rally, but the Tigers missed a chance to take the lead, leaving the bases loaded after Norman entered the game in relief, striking out two batters to end the inning.
Glendale immediately responded in the bottom half, scoring what proved to be the winning run when Graham Satterwhite worked a bases-loaded walk off Republic reliever Cooper Pilkinton.
The Tigers threatened again in the sixth but couldn’t capitalize against Norman. Ryder Davis reached on an error with one out and Cannon Ellison singled him to third, but Norman struck out the next two batters to end the threat. The Oklahoma State recorded all eight of his outs by strikeout to close out the game.
McCracken gave Republic a solid start on the mound, allowing just one hit over four innings while striking out five.
“We stretched him out more than we wanted to last time, so we were just kind of holding back a little bit,” said Republic coach Curt Plotner about removing McCracken after four innings. “Plus, we’re not really sure where we’re going to use him next week. It’s still early in the year.
Pilkinton worked the final two innings in relief, keeping the Tigers within striking distance. Even though he suffered the loss, Plotner was happy with his performance.
“We felt like Coop’s been awesome, and we made a move, and he gave us a chance,” Plotner said. “He’s done a good job. He’s mixed it up real well, and he’s been around the zone, and he’s got a little bit of confidence when he’s out there in those key spots. I was glad he was out there. He gave us a chance.”
Overstreet led Republic’s offense with two hits and an RBI, while McCracken also collected two hits and drove in a run.
The loss drops Republic to 5-2 on the season, while Glendale improves to 4-0.
Linescore
Republic 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 – 2 7 1
Glendale 0 0 1 1 1 0 x – 3 2 2
