“We lost to probably the best team in the state,” Thorne said. “I’m really proud of the way we finished the season. We just ran into a buzzsaw.”
Webb City slugged a 3-run homer in the first inning, and a 2-run homer in the second. They led 7-0 after three, and 9-0 after four innings.
Republic had seven hits, but failed to put together many scoring chances. The closest they came to scoring was in the 6th inning, when Payton Appleberry was thrown out trying to score from third during an infield rundown.
Thorne said he’s tried to avoid thinking about the end of the season, but it’s crept into his thoughts over the past few games.
“I’ve been wondering what it was going to be like, just because I’ve always been so intense about softball,” he said. “That probably won’t change. I’ll just be on the other side of it, in the bleachers.”
Republic ends its season with a 19-9 record. Webb City advances to the district finals against the winner of the McDonald County/Neosho game.