Republic softball’s offense, pitching, and defense clicked at the same time over the weekend, as the Lady Tigers won all five games at the Springfield Invitational. They outscored their opponents 58–2 to improve their record to 16–13.
Coach Lee Dishman said the weekend’s success followed a rough start Friday morning against Bolivar, when he felt his team’s effort wasn’t where it needed to be. “We’ve played a tough schedule and we were coming into the tournament under .500, and we came out (Friday) morning a little lethargic,” he said. “A little motivation… kind of got them going.”
That “motivation” — running during and after the game — changed the tone of the weekend but apparently did not tire them out. “They relaxed at the plate, and we actually started hitting the ball with runners in scoring position,” Dishman said. “Finally we started relaxing at the plate, not putting pressure on it and getting the hits that we needed. They showed me that they have a little grit and how good they really could be.”
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Friday: Republic 5, Bolivar 2
After falling behind 1–0, Republic scored five times in the fourth inning. Addie Brown, Paige Elsenraat, Emma Ellison, and Jayma Pitchford each drove in a run, with Pitchford adding a triple. Maddie Carter had two hits,and Maddie Taylor added a hit and scored. Kendra Goeke and Kara Goeke combined to allow one earned run on four hits.
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Friday: Republic 12, Park Hill South 0
Republic’s offense broke loose in the second game of the day, producing 15 hits in a five-inning shutout. Piper Dishman had three hits and drove in a run. Elsenraat, Brown, and Ellison each had two base hits. Carter and Kara Goeke scored twice each. Dishman and Kendra Goeke combined on a two-hitter. “We’ve been struggling on the offensive end, and I think everybody just got uptight,” said senior Kaitlyn Stewart. “Everybody this weekend was able to relax and just find the groove.”
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Saturday: Republic 20, West Plains 0
Republic scored 16 runs in the third inning to end the game after three. Taylor went 2-for-2 with five RBIs; Mia Carnes added two hits, three runs scored, and three RBIs; and Brown reached base four times. Kendra Goeke, Ellison, and Dishman each drove in two. Kendra Goeke earned the win with three shutout innings.
“Hits are really contagious in this game,” Carnes said. “Everybody just fed off each other.”
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Saturday: Republic 11, St. Teresa’s Academy 0
Republic kept rolling with a fast start against St. Teresa’s Academy. The Lady Tigers scored three in the first and four in the second, then added four more in the fourth to end the game early. Elsenraat tripled, Kara Goeke doubled, and Carter, Goeke, and Amelia Beaver each drove in two runs.
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Saturday: Republic 10, Battle/Columbia Independent 0
Elsenraat tripled, scored twice, and drove in two. Stewart added a hit and an RBI, and Kara Goeke drove in two more, in addition to throwing four shutout innings before Dishman closed out the fifth, sealing Republic’s fifth straight win and fourth consecutive shutout.
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