REPUBLIC, Mo. — The third-seeded Carthage Tigers advanced to the Class 5 District 6 championship game behind a complete-game shutout from Jensyn Elder in a 6-0 win over the second-seeded Republic Tigers on Wednesday.
With Elder dealing, Carthage broke a scoreless tie with a solo home run from Presley Probert in the second inning. Carthage added another run in each of the third and fourth innings before putting the game away with a three-run seventh frame.
Carthage (19-11) takes on top-seeded Kickapoo (22-3) at 4:30 p.m. on Friday at Republic High School.
Elder dazzled in the circle, scattering two hits, walking two and striking out four over seven innings of work to earn the win.
Avery Romans took the loss for Republic after allowing six runs on 12 hits, with six strikeouts, in a complete-game effort.
With a 1-0 lead after the Probert homer in the second, Landry Cochran led off the third inning with a double to center field before coming around to score two batters later on an RBI single to left field by Makayla Jennings to push the lead to 2-0.
Carthage used two-out magic in the fourth inning when Cochran came up with a line drive to left field to score Jordyn Jones, who reached base with an infield hit with one out in the inning and advanced to second on a wild pitch, to go up 3-0.
Cochran registered her third hit of the game with a leadoff double to center to start the seventh inning. Katie Crowe followed with a bunt single to third, with an error on Republic allowing Cochran to score to make the score 4-0. Natalie Rodriguez singled to center in the next at-bat to score Crowe. Jennings made it four straight hits to start the seventh with a single to center, scoring Rodriguez in the process, to plate the final run and extending the lead to 7-0.
STATS
Cochran’s three hits, two doubles, led Carthage at the plate. She scored twice and had one RBI. Jennings was 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Jones was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Elder and Mary Grace Richmond also recorded hits for Carthage.
Mara Lakey and AJ Fenske had the only hits for Republic.
