Alex Schillig
Regional Correspondent

DAYTON, OH - Tippecanoe strikes in the 3rd, advancing them to the Dayton Regional Final. 

There was a huge crowd in attendance at Time Warner Cable Stadium in Dayton.

Tippecanoe's starting left handed pitcher Steven Calhoun got into trouble early in the game.

In the 1st, Steven Calhoun was erratic to say the least.  With the bases loaded Calhoun walked in a run, and it quickly looked as if Calhoun would not get out of the 1st inning.  Luckily he regained confidence, and got out of the inning with a 1-0 deficit.  

In attempt to knock off one of the top DII teams in the state, Franklin sent ace Travis Lakins (Ohio State Commit) to the mound.

In the first two innings Lakins looked on top of his game sitting 86-90 mph, mowing down the Tippecanoe batters.

As the 3rd inning came around, the Tippecanoe bats came alive.  The nine-hole hitter Reid Ferrell started the inning blasting a double in the gap.  Ferrell moved to third on a sacrifice bunt, and was plated on a pass ball tying the game up at 1-1.  Tippecanoe didn't stop there.  Junior Ben Hughes blooped in a single, and came across to score when cleanup hitter Carter Langdon smashed a triple to deep left field. Shortly after, Tipp City caught a break with two outs when the Franklin shortstop committed an error allowing Langdon to score their third run of the inning.    

With a 3-1 deficit, Franklin hitters were looking to rattle pitcher Steven Calhoun in the 5th.  Franklin was successful, as Calhoun once again lost command walking two of the first three hitters.  With the bases loaded, and none out Franklin had the odds in their favor.  First baseman Jared Mullins hit an RBI single, making the score 3-2. Then an unfortunate event occurred for Franklin. 

Still with no outs and the bases loaded, Ben Kirby hit a fly ball to left field.  Travis Lakins tagged from third, and touched home plate tying the game. That is not exactly the end of the story.  Fans and coaches of Tippecanoe were screaming to "appeal the tag!". After appealing, the home plate umpire ruled that Lakins did leave third early resulting in an out.  Tippecanoe survived recording the final out of the inning while still holding onto a 3-2 lead.

Junior Cameron Johnson who entered in the 5th was determined to get his team to regionals.  The right handed pitcher came through for Tipp City setting down the final Franklin hitters, and most importantly advancing his team to the regional finals.

Top Performers:
Franklin: Jarod Mullins 3 for 3, RBI and Travis Lakins 6.0 IP, 7Ks, 2 ER
Tippecanoe: Carter Langdon 2 for 3, Triple, RBI and Cameron Johnson 3 IP, 2 Ks, 0 ER

To view scouting notes from games across Ohio, please visit the Ohio High School Scouting Blog. The blog gets updated throughout the week. To view scouting notes from games across Ohio, please visit the Ohio High School Scouting Blog. The blog gets updated throughout the week. 

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