Aviators Hand Red Devils First Loss of Season

TIPP CITY — This one was built to be close.

And for four innings, it was: punch for punch, pitch for pitch — until Butler took the air out of Clawson Field.

In a matchup between Division III’s top-ranked teams — No. 1 Butler and No. 5 Tippecanoe — the Aviators showed exactly why they sit at the top.

They used timely hitting, clean defense, and a defining fourth-inning play to pull away for an 11–5 win, handing Tipp its first loss of the season.

“It was a nice win,” said head coach Trent Dues. “We swung the bats well.”

Butler got to Tipp starter Cayden McKinney early, as Hunter Richardson sent the first pitch of the game to right field for a standup double. The Aviators scratched across a first-inning run on a Jackson Schilling RBI double to give Butler the early lead.

But the turning point came in the bottom of the fourth.

With the bases loaded and the Red Devils trailing just 1–0, Tipp standout Preston Zumwalt ripped a shot toward third. Koby Dues didn’t blink. He made an incredible, game-changing catch to thwart the threat and ensure that Tipp’s best shot never landed.

Dues was everywhere. He collected three hits, scored twice, and helped break the game open in the sixth with a line-drive single that sparked a five-run frame. But it was his glove that defined the moment — and maybe the outcome.

Butler scored four runs in the fifth and six more across the sixth and seventh, pounding out 16 hits on the day.

Paxton Dwenger added three hits and two RBIs. Richardson helped his own cause with two hits, two runs scored, and also got the win on the mound.

“I’m proud that we kept playing and kept adding on,” Coach Dues said.

Leading the charge was catcher Jackson Schilling, who delivered a monster day at the plate and held the defense together behind it.

Schilling went 4-for-4 with five RBIs, including three doubles — one in the first, one in the sixth, and one in the seventh — all of them driving in runs. He also handled the pitching staff with poise and hosed a baserunner to end a Tipp threat.

Richardson (6–0) went 5.2 innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits while striking out seven. He worked through five walks and stranded seven Red Devils on base before turning it over to Dues, Ethan Davis, and Will Kitchen for the final four outs.

Tippecanoe (18–1, 15–1 MVL) collected nine hits and nine walks but left 11 runners stranded. James Merry and Zumwalt each had three hits. Bryce Eckert and Merry drove in two runs apiece.

Butler improves to 18–0 (13–0 MVL) and will travel to Piqua Thursday evening. The Aviators and Red Devils will wrap the series in a primetime rematch under the lights on Friday night at 7:00 pm.

“We need to keep the pedal to the metal,” Dues said. “No letting up.”