Dressed in pink shirts to support former Republic softball coach Mike Thorne in his fight against cancer, the Lady Tigers busted open a tight game in the late innings to pull away from Rogersville 9-1. It was the final regular-season game of the year for the Lady Tigers, who head into the playoffs with a 19-6 record.
Karleigh Summers slugged a solo home run to break a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the 4th inning. In the bottom of the 6th, the Lady Tigers exploded for seven more runs. The big blow was a triple by Sydney Phillips with the bases loaded. The ball hit the tubing the runs along the top of the fence and bounced back in. Phillips settled for a three-run double.
Rachel Rook finished the regular season with a 12-strikeout performance. That brings her career total to 990. She’ll have her first chance to break the 1,000-strikeout mark in the district semifinals on Thursday night.
Thorne, who was diagnosed with lymphoma about a month ago, says it was a special night for him, although he was a little embarrassed by the attention.
“I had no idea until I showed up tonight. It was a surprise to me, too. I’m sure both coaches (Republic’s Lee Dishman and Rogersville’s Denny McHenry) had something to do with that,” says Thorne. “It was special. It really was.”
Thorne says doctors believe the prognosis for successful treatment is good.
Both teams wore the same pink shirts with Thorne’s name on the front. The shirts are available for order here.