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Urbana comes up three outs short

Tipp City 3 Urbana 2, 9 innings

TIPP CITY — Urbana had not allowed a hit the previous six innings and was three outs away from capturing its second straight Central Buckeye Conference Kenton Trail Division title Wednesday.

But there's a reason why teams have to put three outs in the book.

Before the Hillclimbers could do that in the bottom of the seventh, Tipp City put two runs up thanks to two Urbana errors, tying the game at 2-2.

"I think we were a little deflated after that," Urbana coach Tim West said. "Any time you take a two-run lead into the seventh inning and give up runs you have to be a little deflated."

And in the ninth, the Red Devils finished taking the air out the Hillclimbers' Kenton Trail title hopes with a 3-2 come-from-behind win to take back first place in the division with two CBC games left to play.

"We are now 5-0 in extra-inning games (and one game up on Urbana)," Tipp City coach Charles Tackett said. "That's amazing isn't it?"

What's more amazing is that Tipp came back to beat the Hillclimbers against arguably the best pitcher in the area, Tara West. West, who came into the game 18-2, had not given up a lead in the seventh inning all season.

But Urbana's title hopes aren't completely dead.

Tipp City (16-6, 12-2) still must play Greenon and Northwestern. Urbana (19-4, 11-3) has Graham and Benjamin Logan.

"We just made some mental mistakes tonight," Tim West said. "I thought we had it."

Urbana committed three errors in the game, two in seventh and one in the ninth. Tipp scored the winning run when Jessica Locker came home on a throwing error after leading off with a double.

And though the loss did overshadow the play of Urbana second baseman Amanda Smith, the senior made two amazing stops at second base that saved two potentially big innings for the Red Devils. Smith, who hits out of the nine hole, also had a single and scored the Hillclimbers' first run of the game in the fifth inning.