CONVOY - It couldn't have been a more demoralizing way to lose a game. Crestview had a two-run lead over Delphos Jefferson with two outs in the top of the seventh inning. It quickly faded away when Jordan Jettinghoff pounded a three-run homer.

Except the Knights didn't lose their cool, or the game. Jordan Gibson slapped a two-run single to shallow left field in the bottom of the inning and Crestview walked away with a 4-3 win in Northwest Conference play.

Leading off the bottom of the seventh, Stephen Semer went to second base on an error. Ian Clay singled, in between a groundout to third and a strikeout.

Gibson, who struck out his first two at bats and walked on the third, swung at the second pitch and delivered the game winning runs.

"(Jefferson pitcher Mike) Rahrig made me look bad those first couple of at bats. He's got a great curve ball, and I got lucky and actually got a fastball on that pitch," Gibson said. "I wouldn't say I was nervous. My mouth was really dry, but I wasn't nervous."

To start the seventh, Ryan Kortokrax singled, but Aaron Schuerman struck out looking and Kortokrax recorded the second out when Taylor Hesseling's grounder struck his leg. Matt Gerdeman singled in between the two outs.

Jettinghoff wasted little time after the second out, launching the first offering from Nick Ulrey into the wind and over the right field fence.

"It's just one of those deals where teams have to be resilient," Crestview coach Jim Wharton said. "It was a tournament atmosphere. ... That's what you have to do, play for seven, eight, nine or how ever many innings you have to play."

Crestview went to 12-2 overall and remained atop the NWC at 6-0 with three conference contests to go. The Knights are 1Z|x games up on second-place Columbus Grove.

Of the four Crestview runs, only two could be credited to Rahrig. The Wildcats (11-4, 4-2 NWC) committed three errors.

"We had opportunities in the seventh inning. A few mistakes in the field - you can't give Crestview extra outs like that," Jefferson coach Troy Montenery said. "The game could turn on one play here or there. Every play is pressure-packed."

Rahrig threw 111 pitches over seven innings, losing his first game of the season. He allowed five hits, struck out nine and walked two.

Ulrey was the winning pitcher, going the distance on 98 pitches. He went to 3-0 with four strikeouts, one walk and four hits.

"Two good hitting teams, with wind blowing out, we anticipated ... that there would be more runs scored," Wharton said. "But with pitchers like Rahrig and Ulrey, what a game by both of them, just a phenomenal performance. It was difficult for either one to lose."