Republic softball season ends in district championship game at Carthage, after topping Neosho

Webb City pitcher Haidyn Berry shut down the Lady Tigers softball lineup for the second time this season, helping the Cardinals capture the district championship over Republic 4-0 in Carthage. Berry allowed just five hits and struck out 12 batters in a complete-game performance.
Two of Republic’s five hits belonged to senior Megan Weis, playing in her last game as a Lady Tiger. Weis singled in the first inning and doubled in the sixth, but both times she was left on base. The sixth inning was Republic’s most serious scoring threat. After Kaitlyn Ragsdale was called out
at first on a close play to lead off the inning, Weis doubled to the fence and AJ Fenske followed that with a line drive to the outfield to put runners at the corners, but Berry struck out Katie Ander- son to end the inning.
Avery Romans worked out of trouble much of the night, keeping Republic close. In the first inning, Webb City scored one run and had the bases loaded before Romans got a strikeout to end the inning. In the fourth, Romans coaxed a bases-loaded ground ball that led to a force out at home, then got the next batter to fly out to end the threat. Romans pitched six innings, allowing four runs on 13 hits and striking out four. She also walked a batter.
The loss marked the final game for five Republic seniors: Katie Anderson, Jessie Jones, Riley Laub, Whitney Weaver and Megan Weis.
Republic had reached the district championship game with a 12-4 win over Neosho. In that game, Mara Lakey hit a home run to help Republic overcome an early defi- cit, then the Lady Tigers scored seven runs in a big fifth inning to put the game away.
Republic ended its season with an 18-10 record.