Senior Karleigh Summers lofted a looping line drive over the head of the drawn-in infield to score Kaitlyn Ragsdale, lifting the Lady Tigers to a 9-8 win over Willard on Senior Night. Summers’ hit ended a rollercoaster game that had included comebacks by both teams.
Republic jumped ahead 3-0 after two innings, but Willard led 5-3 after 3 1/2. Republic tied the game again 5-5 in the bottom of the 4th, but Willard took a 5-4 lead in the very next half-inning.
It was 6-4 Willard when Republic tallied three more runs in the bottom of the 6th to take the lead. The big blow in that inning was a towering home run into the wind by Julia Higgins that gave Republic a 7-6 advantage.
In the top of the 7th, Willard tied the game and had the bases loaded when Livi Collier’s pitch got away from Higgins. Higgins chased the ball to the backstop, wheeled, and threw the ball to Collier, who applied the tag to cut down the go-ahead run at the plate.
In the bottom of the 8th, Ragsdale led off with a single, stole her third base of the night and went to third on a single by Ally Stolte. After Collier lined out to the shortstop and Higgins walked, Summers singled home the game-winner.
The Lady Tigers managed ten hits, including three by Ragsdale, two by Summers, and two by Higgins. Collier picked up win in relief after Avery Romans worked six innings, allowing eight runs—but only one of them earned.
Summers’ game-winner was a happy ending for Senior Night. The Lady Tigers honored five seniors: Summers, Stolte, Savana Smith, Mikayla Steinert, and Grace Trantham. Coach Lee Dishman says Republic’s 16-win season (so far) is a testament to the senior class’s unwillingness to accept a rebuilding year after losing much of last year’s production to graduation.
“People came into this year thinking Republic’s going to be down. Our senior class didn’t believe that, and they didn’t allow that to happen,” says Dishman. “They just told the younger girls, ‘We expect to win,’ and they’ve been leaders all the way through.”
Republic improves to 16-8.