It feels like February all over again in the Ozarks. We’re waking up to chilly skies and anticipating a Branson-Republic district championship game.
This time it’s baseball, the location is Willard and the favorite is Republic. So how can the Tigers secure their second district title in two years and avenge the boys basketball team’s loss to the Pirates in late February? Find out after the jump
For coach Howard Quigley’s squad the key is going to be keep doing what you’ve been doing. Republic is on a tear this season, with just four losses – all to teams that are state-ranked, a class higher or both. Their defense has committed just one error in 12 innings of district play, a miscue that didn’t lead to a run. The pitching has surrendered just one hit and no runs. The offense, while shaky against Aurora, exploded against Willard and has continued to show the 1-through-9 depth that will make them hard to beat.
The one-day delay for this game has given RHS starter Tyler King another day to rest, so he’ll be able to go full-bore today. Josh Stevens, Brock Robbins and Chad Beal – all pitchers during the regular season – haven’t had to work a district game, so they’re available if needed. I’m not exactly sure of the rules, but since Mitch McHenry threw just five innings Tuesday, he might have another inning or two to give in an emergency situation (it would have to be severe, though).
None of this is to degrade Branson. Coach Steve Lael and his staff have put another quality team together. Good pitching, good hitting, good fielding – a typical, steady squad that is built to win games late in the year. They pulled a nice upset in the first round when they toppled No. 3 Monett, then did exactly what they needed to do against Reeds Spring to advance to the finals. So how can the Pirates win?
They’ll need to keep the bats going. They lost a 4-0 decision to Republic in Central Ozark Conference play (with King on the mound for the Tigers) and will likely need 5 runs or more today to get the win. Their bats have been hot, with Levi Casey going 5-for-9 in Districts and catcher Jordan Storm has been knocking the cover off the ball. Storm had four hits and five RBI in Branson’s 9-6 win over Monett and blasted a two-run homer to help the Pirates past Reeds Spring 9-3.
In all Branson is averaging nearly 8 runs per game this month, so, yeah, they’ve got the bats to do it. They will need to have another big day against a very salty RHS pitching staff.
Branson, by the way, will counter with Mike Compton.
If this game needed any more flavor, the Tigers have some extra motivation. Many in Republic were displeased with an article that ran in the Branson Daily News after RHS’ 4-0 win a couple of weeks ago. That piece – which can be found here - painted the Republic players and community in a negative light. If I had to guess, this thing has been printed out, blown up and hung up on a bulletin board somewhere.
Just something to keep in mind as you’re out at the yard today.
Speaking of which, we’re off in a few minutes. Check back to www.republicmonews.com this afternoon for a game story and, of course, return to the blog for insight, analysis and nonsense later today.
–Jeff
