Republic’s late-game heroics fell just short Thursday night as Nixa held on for a 9-6 victory in a cross-division Central Ozark Conference battle at Republic.
The Lady Tigers found themselves in an early hole, trailing 2-0 after the first inning, and Republic got on the board with a single run in the second when Emma Ellison doubled home Kara Goeke.
Nixa made it 4-1 in the top of the third inning, but a three-run homer by Maddie Taylor tied the game in the bottom of the fourth.
The Lady Eagles regained control in the fourth and fifth innings, pushing across five more runs to take a 9-4 lead, but Republic didn’t quit. In the bottom of the sixth, Goeke and Carter each singled to start the inning, setting up a two-run double by Paige Elsenraat. That made the score 9-6, which is where it stood in the bottom of the seventh.
In the seventh, a Nixa error and a bad-hop single put two runners on base and brought the tying run to the plate, but Republic couldn’t take advantage.
Taylor led Republic’s offense with her three-run blast and finished 1-for-4. Elsenraat had two hits and drove in two runs in the losing effort., and Ellison added two hits, an RBI, and a run scored. Piper Dishman pitched three innings as a starter, giving up four runs (three earned). Kara Goeke pitched the final four innings in relief, allowing five runs and taking the loss. Shelby Hicks picked up the win for Nixa.
The Lady Tigers fall to 4-2. They host Sedalia Smith-Cotton on Friday.
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