Sarah Ivory Postgame Interview

Learic Kinser Postgame Interview

Paige McCrary Postgame Interview

Courtney Lopez Postgame Interview

Kenton Ridge travels to Tippecanoe on Monday for the first of a two-game series that will decide the CBC Kenton Trail Division title.

The Cougars (20-2) have won their last nine games and are in second place in the Kenton Trail with a 12-1 conference record. Tippecanoe (19-4) has won 13 games in a row and is in first place in the league with a 13-0 conference record. Kenton Ridge is ranked fifth in Division II in the Ohio High School Fastpitch Softball Coaches’ Association poll, while Tippecanoe is ranked seventh.

Tippecanoe junior pitcher Bri Eichbaum throws a pitch during a 6-3 win in a conference game at Shawnee last week. Eichbaum has a 3.09 ERA. (Top Billing Sports Photos by Bryant Billing)

The Red Devils lead the CBC in hitting with a .382 team batting average and have hit the most doubles (57) and home runs (11) of any team in the league. Five players have over a .400 batting average for Tippecanoe and seven have over a .400 on-base percentage.

Cassie Gingerich, a junior outfielder, leads Tippecanoe with a .472 batting average. She has hit 42 singles this season and has 15 stolen bases to her credit. Hannah Beck leads Tippecanoe with a .506 on-base percentage.

“Hitting’s contagious,” Tippecanoe head coach Charles Tackett said last week after a 6-3 win over Shawnee. “We’re they type of team that, once (someone) starts hitting everyone starts hitting.”

Kenton Ridge’s Courtney Lopez will try to ensure Tippecanoe doesn’t start hitting tomorrow. Lopez, a sophomore pitcher, has a 2.17 ERA over 112 innings pitched in 18 games this season. She’s struck out 94 batters this season and has pitched four shutouts in the last two weeks.

“She’s doing well,” Kenton Ridge head coach Sarah Ivory said of Lopez after a 3-0 win over Northwestern last week. “We’ve had a lot of shutouts from her recently. She’s hitting her spots and I think the weather’s helping out instead of being so rainy and cold and nasty.”

Kenton Ridge has had plenty of hitting to help Lopez as well. The Cougars are second in the CBC with a .376 team batting average and lead the league with 26 triples. Five players have over a .400 batting average for Kenton Ridge and seven players have over a .400 on-base percentage.

Kenton Ridge senior catcher Paige McCrary swings during a game at Shawnee on April 23. McCrary tied a state record with 12 consecutive hits last week.

Paige McCrary — who tied a state record last week with 12 consecutive hits — leads the Cougars with a .526 batting average and .566 on-base percentage. McCrary, a senior catcher, has hit seven doubles, three triples, and one home run this season. Sophomore infielder Learic Kinser is second on Kenton Ridge in hitting with a .488 batting average and .523 on-base percentage.

“We’re hitting well,” Ivory said. “(Our hitters) are seeing the ball well and we’ve been able to hit consistently. We have a lot of depth.”

Tippecanoe’s Bri Eichbaum will face Kenton Ridge’s hitters tomorrow. Eichbaum, a junior pitcher, has a 3.09 ERA through 127 innings this season. She’s struck out 99 batters and has a 16-4 record.

“She needs to take care of the bottom of the order, because the top of the order’s going to hurt us if she doesn’t,” Tackett said of Eichbaum. “She’s gotten a lot better with that as the season’s went on.”

Kenton Ridge senior pitcher Courtney Lopez pitches in a 7-2 loss at Shawnee on April 23. Lopez has a 2.17 ERA.

Kenton Ridge hasn’t beat Tippecanoe since 2010, and Ivory said the players are focused on breaking that streak this season. The Cougars finished second behind Tippecanoe in the Kenton Trail Division the previous three seasons.

“I think these kids want this,” Ivory said. “After Tipp beating us year after year after year, I think they like going into something with the possibility of winning it. We asked them at the beginning of the season if anyone had won a CBC title, and no one raised their hands. It’s something that they want.”

Tackett said the key for Tippecanoe to win its sixth-straight Kenton Trail Division title is stressing fundamentals.

“We’ve just got to keep making plays,” Tackett said. “Hopefully that’ll take care of games.”

The two-game series may not be the last time the two teams meet. Tippecanoe received the second seed in the Tecumseh Division II sectional bracket in the tournament draw earlier today, while Kenton Ridge received the third seed. If both teams win their first- and second-round games, they would meet in a sectional final game.

Listen live to Kenton Ridge at Tippecanoe on the Top Billing Sports Network.

UPDATE 5/6: The first game of the series has been postponed to Wednesday, May 8. Top Billing Sports will broadcast the postponed game this Wednesday. The game will be broadcast around the world on the Top Billing Sports Network. The game will be broadcast on our online streaming radio station, which can be heard on any smartphone or computer with internet access. Fans at Tippecanoe Middle School can also listen during the game at the softball field on 105.3 FM.

Coverage begins at 4:45 p.m.

SPRINGFIELD — Kenton Ridge senior catcher Paige McCrary had 11 straight hits entering the Cougars’ Central Buckeye Conference crossover game at Northwestern last night. McCrary got the streak to 12 with a single in the first inning before she grounded out in each of her last three at-bats in the game.

But despite McCrary’s subpar day at the plate, the Cougars had no problems getting on base. Kenton Ridge had 11 hits in a 3-0 win over the Warriors.

That’s been the key to Kenton Ridge’s success this season according to fourth year head coach Sarah Ivory — even if a few players aren’t hitting, the rest are.

Kenton Ridge sophomore infielder Learic Kinser swings during the third inning of the Cougars 3-0 win over Northwestern last night. Kinser hit three singles in the game. (Top Billing Sports Photos by Bryant Billing)

“We’re hitting well,” Ivory said. “We have a lot of depth at all positions.”

The Cougars (18-2, 10-1 CBC Kenton Trail) have the second-best batting average (.375) and on-base percentage (.425) in the league. Six Kenton Ridge players with at least 50 at-bats have an on-base percentage greater than .467.

“It’s great,” sophomore infielder Learic Kinser said. “If you have a good hitting team, you’re going to win games. That’s what we did today.”

Kinser, who’s second on the team with a .493 batting average, said it’s easier to hit knowing other players can hit well.

“It takes some pressure off,” Kinser said. “You’ve got to have faith in your teammates, and I do. I have one hundred percent faith in every one of them.”

Sophomore infielder Kirstyn Baise  — who has a .188 batting average  —agreed.

“It makes you feel good going into the game knowing that other girls can hit,” Baise said. “It makes you confident that you’re going to play your hardest and hopefully win.”

Sophomore pitcher Courtney Lopez got Kenton Ridge’s scoring going in the third inning on a single to left field that scored Kinser from second base.

Kenton Ridge senior catcher Paige McCrary makes a catch during the fifth inning against Northwestern. The senior had a streak of 12 consecutive hits come to an end in the third inning.

The Cougars got two more runs in the fifth inning. Kinser led off the inning with a ground ball single to Northwestern catcher Megan Oty. Brittany Harting hit a double to right field that scored Kinser, and Lopez followed up with a double to center field that scored Harting.

Northwestern fell to 12-7 overall with the loss. It was the fourth-straight loss for the Warriors.

Lopez allowed four hits in the game and struck out four. The win was the fourth shutout she has pitched in the last two weeks.

“She’s hitting her spots,” Ivory said. “I think the weather’s helping out instead of being so rainy and cold and nasty.”

Baise said that Kenton Ridge’s fielding has improved as the season’s progressed to help Lopez get outs. The Cougars had 17 errors in two games earlier in the year, but position changes have helped the Cougars limit fielding problems.

“Our defense really has gotten better,” Baise said. “We’ve been coming up young as an infield and an outfield, but everyone holds their position well.”

Kenton Ridge won its first eight games of the season. The Cougars lost two games within a five-day span last month, including a 7-2 loss to Shawnee on April 23. Kenton Ridge hasn’t lost since.

Kenton Ridge sophomore center fielder Brittany Harting makes a catch during a CBC crossover game at Northwestern last night. Harting hit an RBI double in the fifth inning.

“We had a girl get hurt today towards the end of the game, and we were able to put someone in,” Ivory said. “That’s what has kind of what’s happened throughout this year. We’re able to put in people and not have to worry or be nervous. With those two losses, we didn’t worry or get nervous. We’ve regrouped, and we’ve done what we’ve needed to do.”

The Cougars are ranked fifth in Division II in this week’s OHSFSCA poll and are second in the Kenton Trail Division behind Tippecanoe (18-4,12-0). Kenton Ridge travels to Urbana tonight and hosts Greenon tomorrow in crossover games before a two-game series with the Red Devils next week.

Kenton Ridge has finished second to Tippecanoe four out of the last five seasons.

“With Tipp beating us year after year after year, I think they like that we’re going into something with the possibility of winning it,” Ivory said. “It’s something that they want. And just like we told them  — we’ve got to play Urbana tomorrow. It’s day in, day out.”

Baise said she’s confident the Cougars can win the league title.

“As long as people keep their heads up and keep doing what they’re doing, because it’s obviously working, we can.”

Regardless of how the league race turns out for Kenton Ridge, the Cougars have already made the record books in 2013. According to the OHSAA unofficial softball records, McCrary’s streak of 12 consecutive hits ties her for fifth place all-time in the category.

McCrary shares fifth place with four other players, including head coach Sarah Ivory, who accomplished the feat in 1998.

View TBSN box score from game here.

View more photos from the game here.

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article incorrectly attributed Lopez’s two hits to Baise due to a statkeeping error. We apologize for the error.

Charles Tackett Postgame Interview

Chris Roberts Postgame Interview

Chris Roberts Postgame Interview

Emily McKillip Postgame Interview