Tippecanoe (15-3) and Kenton Ridge (12-4) likely will earn the top two seeds in the seven-team Springfield Division II sectional during the tournament draw next Sunday. The Red Devils left no doubt Saturday as to which team deserves the top seed more. They had six hits in the first three innings and capitalized on three errors by Kenton Ridge to take a 5-0 lead.
Tippecanoe coach Bruce Cahill said he stressed to the team during the bus ride to Springfield on Saturday how important the game was for tournament seeding.
“I’m really happy that we were able to come out and hit the ball hard right from the start,” Cahill said. “If we want to get out of the sectional, we know we may have to beat these guys again. Our guys were ready to prove themselves.”
The Cougars allowed one earned run, but eight errors allowed Tipp to turn it into a blowout. Most of the errors were by Kenton Ridge’s infielders, who had trouble coming up with ground balls. Shaffer said it is highly unusual for the team to have many fielding mistakes.
“When you play a good team like Tipp, you can’t give them runs. You’re taking yourself out,” Shaffer said. “The hope is we’ll get another shot at them down the road in the sectional, and if we make those routine plays like we’ve made for most of this season, we’ll be fine.”
The Cougars had chances to cut into Tippecanoe’s lead. They loaded the bases with two outs in two innings but were unable to score. Kenton Ridge stranded 13 runners on Saturday and left five runners on base in a 3-1 loss to Northwestern on Friday night.
“We just needed a big hit here or there to make this a different game,” Shaffer said. “We’re kind of in a little funk with getting guys on base and not being able to get them in. We just have to find a way to get that big hit, and it’ll come. It’s just going to take more work.”
Tippecanoe is in its first season in the Greater Western Ohio Conference after moving from the Central Buckeye Conference. The Red Devils won the CBC Kenton Trail Division every season from 2010 to 2014, and Kenton Ridge has won the league the last two years.
About the Author