Republic’s baseball team closed out the Smith-Cotton Tournament with a 12-2 loss to Nevada Saturday. Republic tallied just three hits to Nevada pounded out 13 hits, including two home runs in six innings.
Nevada took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Drew Harder homered to right field. They extended their lead to 2-0 in the third inning after a Republic error.
Republic struggled to generate offense against Nevada pitcher Kanton Ast, who limited Republic to three hits and two runs over six innings while striking out three.
Republic finally broke through in the fifth inning. Landon Perkins singled and courtesy runner Chase Connell later scored on Ryder Davis’s sacrifice fly. Cannon Ellison, who had singled, scored on a passed ball to cut Nevada’s lead to 5-2.
Any momentum Republic gained quickly disappeared when Nevada exploded for six runs in the sixth inning. Drew Miller hit a two-run homer, Drew Harder doubled, and Nevada strung together six hits in a row to put the game out of reach.
Ellison started for Republic and took the loss, allowing five runs (four earned) on three hits over four innings. Cooper Thomas pitched in relief after saving the victory against Warrensburg Friday night, giving up the remainder of Nevada’s scoring in 1 1/3 innings.
The loss drops Republic’s record to 9-8. The Tigers went 1-3 in the Smith-Cotton Tournament.
