Tipp completes sweep of top-ranked Butler
The MVL title may have eluded the Tippecanoe baseball team this year with Troy getting the crown, but the Red Devils can hang their hats on doing something nobody else in the league has done this year.
Tipp completed the season sweep of the state’s top-ranked Division Three baseball team, coming from behind to knock off Butler 8-6 to run their record to 19-5 on the season.
“Butler obviously has a great program,” Tipp coach Cam Dickens said after the game. “Coach Dues and his staff do a fantastic job and always get the max out of their kids.”
“Our guys did an outstanding job of sticking to the things that make us successful. We are very clear and intentional about the things we need to do to win, and the boys have been committed to that.”
“You always want to play your best baseball against the top teams on the schedule, and our kids carried the belief that we could win from the first pitch to the last. It has been very rewarding as coaches to see their mindset change.”
Butler jumped out to a 4-0 lead early, but Tipp battled back. Ethan Harney cleared the bases with a three-run double in the third inning, When Butler scored again in the fourth to push their lead back to 5-3, Tipp exploded for five runs in the fourth to take the lead for good.
“I’m so proud of that young man,” Dickens said about Harney. “He has as much God-given talent as any kid I have coached in 10 years of doing this. We coach him hard and challenge him daily, because we all believe in the player he is now and what he can be down the road.” “You can see the confidence growing every day, and he has the opportunity to be a very special player. He has really come up big in spots where the team needed it all year, and the bases clearing double completely changed the game for us.”
Dickens also stated that his team did not flinch when they fell behind by four runs early.
“We have been talking a lot as a group about realizing that baseball is a long game,” he said. “You have to stay consistent and do your best to not ride the roller coaster of emotions.”
“In both Butler games and the Northmont game, I saw zero panic from the players when we got behind. They did a great job of focusing on controlling what we could and keeping our energy in the right places. I think it’s a sign of maturity from our guys and a sign that they believe in their teammates at all times.”
Harney and Brady Liskey each had three hits for Tipp. Carson Jackson picked up the win in relief for Tipp.
*Tipp closed out the MVL portion of their schedule, defeating Stebbins 8-2 on Senior Night last Friday night. The Red Devils built a 5-1 lead early and never looked back, cruising to their 20th win of the season.
Tipp only had six hits on the day, and Jackson drove in three runs on the day. Ethan Davis got the win for the Red Devils. They return to action tonight against Ponitz in the opening round of the sectional tournament.
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