Butler sophomore catcher Jackson Schilling went 4-4 with three doubles and five RBIs and junior Paxton Dwenger and sophomore Koby Dues each had three hits as the Aviators improved to 18-0 and 13-0 in the MVL Miami Division.
Tippecanoe senior Preston Zumwalt and sophomore James Merry each had three hits for the Red Devils (18-1).
Butler senior Hunter Richardson threw 5⅔ innings for the Aviators, allowing two runs on six hits with seven strikeouts. He also went 2-for-4 with two doubles.
The Aviators never trailed in the game. They took an early lead 1-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI double by Schilling. Butler extended its lead to 5-0 in the fourth after RBI singles from Dwenger and senior Mason Reckner and a two-RBI single by sophomore Tate Richardson.
Tippecanoe cut the lead to 5-2 on a two-RBI single by Merry, but the Red Devils wouldn’t get any closer. The Aviators added two runs in the sixth and four in the seventh to increase their lead to 11-2.
The Red Devils added three in the bottom of the seventh.
Round 2 is coming later this week. The Red Devils travel to Butler at 7 p.m. Friday.
Key moment: Trailing 1-0 with two outs in the bottom of the fourth, the Red Devils loaded the bases for Zumwalt. The senior smoked a line drive to third base, but it was caught by Dues to end the threat. The Aviators would respond with four runs in the top of the fifth inning.
Key stat: The Aviators collected 16 hits in the game, including five doubles.
About the Author
