Parker Nelson slapped a game-winning single into right field with two outs in the bottom of the 7th inning, as Republic beat Willard 2-1 for its tenth win of the season Thursday. Nelson’s hit made a winner of Jansen McQuerter, who allowed just a single run in the 1st inning before shutting out Willard the rest of the way.
The first two batters of the night reached base for Willard, and a sacrifice fly by Dalton Morrow gave Willard a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the first, Nelson singled and came around to score, tying the game 1-1.
After the 1st inning, McQuerter shut the door on Willard. He allowed only two more hits the rest of the way. Willard’s biggest threat came in the top of the 6th, when Kyle Smith drew a leadoff walk and Garyn Stewart doubled, giving Willard runners at 2nd and 3rd with nobody out and their 2-3-4 hitters coming up. But McQuerter struck out Jordan Stevens, then coaxed a soft grounder out of Morrow, allowing the Tigers to cut down Smith at home plate. McQuerter got Patrick Latham to pop out to 2nd base to end the inning.
“The defense has backed me up all season, so my mentality was to get to the hitters early, get a first-pitch strike if I could, and just work pitch-to-pitch,” McQuerter says.
In the 7th, Maverick Lopez got the game-winning rally started when he was hit by a pitch. Chandler Coates sacrificed him to 2nd base, and after Alex Reynolds flied out to center field, Austin Atkins singled to left field, advancing Lopez to 3rd. That’s when Nelson delivered his game-winning single.
“I was looking for a first-pitch fastball after the coach went out there and talked to him. He was a little rattled so I was expecting something hittable and just tried to hit it where it was pitched, and a line drive and on the ground, and it found a hole,” says Nelson. “We’ve come a long way as a team. This game shows we can compete. We’re staying in ballgames and we’re fighting tooth and nail to win, scrapping, and doing a lot of things right.”
Republic improves to 10-3. They’re back home Friday with a game against Bolivar.