Tipp’s Cayden McKinney struck out eight and allowed no hits through 4.2 innings of Wednesday’s 12-0 win over Piqua. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
Tipp’s Cayden McKinney struck out eight, had the game’s longest hit, and oh yeah…he didn’t allow a hit (technically) for a Red Devils’ 12-0 district tourney win Wednesday over Piqua.
Tipp City, OH – Any time you win an OHSAA tournament game in baseball it’s cause for satisfaction. Because…regardless of how good you are, or your record, tournament games are easy to lose.
That said, any time you beat a conference rival for a tournament win it makes things just a bit sweeter. And Wednesday’s win over Piqua was their third in three games this season – triple sweet!
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But more, any time you win a tournament game over a conference rival and pitch a no-hitter to do it, well…there really aren’t any words that do that kind of accomplishment justice.
Just ask Tipp City’s Cayden McKinney, grandson of former Chicago White Sox, Yankees, and Oakland Athletics’ slugger Rich McKinney, who did it Wednesday in a 12-0 run-rule win over the Indians in a district semi-final game. And what would Grandpa Rich say if he had seen it?
“He’d probably say to go out and do it again on Friday,” beamed the Red Devils’ junior pitching standout.
And what a privilege at this point of the season…to play at LEAST one more game when it’s do or die. And Cayden McKinney could hardly have done more.
He struck out the side in the top of the first, his fastball overpowering in the top of the strike zone, his breaking pitch darting away in the bottom of it.
And he got all the run support he would need in the bottom of the first following a lead-off single by shortstop Preston Zumwalt off Piqua standout Hunter Steinke. The Red Devils then loaded the bases on a pair of sacrifice bunt attempts, followed with a pair of bleeder singles to short right and short left, and before Steinke had thrown twenty pitches he was down 3-0.
McKinney came out in the second and again buzzed through the Piqua hitters; and in the bottom of the inning he lined a double to deep right center in the manner of Grandpa Rich that highlighted a two-run inning and upped the Tipp lead to 5-0.
In the third he again blanked Piqua, while his offense added four more runs, aided by three Piqua errors and one could hear the air hissing out of the Indians’ balloon, and their season. They trailed 9-0.
“This team’s different this year. We have the pitching, we’re deep, and more than anything…these guys want to play.” – Cayden McKinney
In the fourth McKinney again retired the first two hitters, gaining his eighth strikeout of the game, before a slow roller to shortstop handcuffed Preston Zumwalt for an error and Piqua’s only base runner. In the bottom of the inning, Hunter Steinke was gone from the mound but the defense again caved, allowing three more unearned runs and Tipp’s lead reached 12-0, and run-rule margin. All they needed was three outs in the top of the fifth.
McKinney got the first two easily, but sitting on 46 pitches and one out from what would be technically a complete game, Tipp coach Cam Givens lifted McKinney for reliever Ethan Davis who collected the final out of a 12-0 win.
Tipp won it with 12 runs on 12 hits and 1 error…Piqua lost it with no runs on no hits, and committed seven errors. McKinney, of course, was credited with the win, his second in tournament play in as many outings (Ponitz, last week).
“He was one pitch short of the pitch limit,” explained Red Devils’ assistant and pitching coach, Jim Johnson. “This way he’ll be eligible to pitch on Friday if he gets the opportunity. We debated over leaving him in to get the final out, but it’s comforting to know you have that kind of arm available in your next game if you need it.”
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Few in area baseball have had a better spring than McKinney, who’s rapidly gaining recruiting recognition for his ability to throw strikes, execute his secondary pitches, and attack the hitting zone. Supported by what’s been a dependable defense through 27 games, the strikeouts come naturally as he’s content, and confident, to pitch to contact.
“Striking out the first three hitters in the first was a big confidence boost,” he added afterwards. “I was setting up the fastball with every 0-2 pitch, but that was the plan and my defense played great today.”
Was he aware…that Piqua didn’t have a hit?
“Yes sir, that made it pretty special, even coming out with two outs in the fifth.”
And while Grandpa Rich is already looking ahead to Friday…..
“My Grandma (Jeanne) would probably give me $15 bucks for Taco Bell,” he laughed.
Tipp moves on to play Turpin (16-8) on Friday at 5 pm, at Bellbrook, in the district final.
Now 24-3, those long familiar with Tippecanoe baseball will no doubt wonder if their 24 wins in 2025 is an omen for better things than in the past. For years under then coach Bruce Cahill, Tipp would sweep through the regular season only to run aground in the district level of the tournament, usually for a lack of hitting. As Yogi Berra once famously said, “Good pitching will beat good hitting every time, and vice-versa.” He no doubt had heard about Tipp City.
“This team’s different,” claims McKinney. “We hit the ball hard today and Preston has just mashed it all year. We have the pitching, we’re deep this year, and more than anything…these guys want to play. We’ve smoked the ball and we’ve played good defense. Right now we’re doing everything right, and outside of that three-game stretch with Butler and Troy, we’ve been rolling all year.”
Cam Givens agrees.
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“I think everyone agrees that Division III is a gauntlet,” said Givens. “But we relish the challenge. This is Tipp baseball and if we shy away from this kind of challenge we’re doing the program a disservice. We’re fine with meeting the big, bad monster because we’re probably as good as any team in the division. Butler’s having a great season, there’s no doubt, and there’s a team in Dayton that I used to coach that’s good, too. But when we play our game we can beat anyone.”
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But pitching…and do you have that one arm for that next one-and-you-might-be-done game, one that’s capable of jumping on a team like Piqua (who finished 13-14 for the season) to keep the ball rolling?
“We’ve had it before,” said Jim Johnson, rattling off some of the Red Devils’ great past arm tandems. And it’s a pretty good bet at this point that they have at least one.
“This team is capable,” adds Preston Zumwalt, the acknowledged leader. “We can play small ball, we can get the extra base hits, so I feel like it can all come together.”
Friday they’ll get the chance, again, to prove that. And if they need him…Cayden McKinney is available.
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