Rockets Shut Out Broncos, 3-0, for First MAC Win

Saturday, March 24

Kalamazoo, Mich.

3:05p.m.

University of Toledo

5-14, 0

Western Michigan

10-10, 0

Toledo

Western Michigan

Sam Shutes threw a career-high 8.1 shutout innings in Toledo's 3-0 win over Western Michigan on Saturday.

3/24/2018 6:48:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Kalamazoo, Mich.— Behind the excellent pitching of senior Sam Shutes, Toledo defeated Western Michigan, 3-0, Saturday afternoon.

Shutes recorded a career-high 8.1 shutout innings and struck out eight. The senior allowed five hits and walked just one. Today's game marked the fifth time in his career that Shutes shut out his opponent in a start of at least five innings.

Offensively, UT scattered nine hits on the day and scored one run in the third, sixth, and ninth innings. Senior Casey Gose stepped into the starting lineup and provided a spark, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Freshman John Servello also had a good day at the plate, tallying a couple hits and driving in a run.

Western Michigan didn't go down easy. The Broncos loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth inning with one out, but junior Nate Haugh came in from the bullpen and forced a game-ending double play to secure Toledo's first MAC win of 2018.

The Rockets' shutout of WMU was the first of the season and the first since UT blanked the Broncos last season (March 31).

Toledo and Western Michigan wrap up this weekend's series on Sunday at 2:05 p.m.

Hear from the man himself, @SamShutes, after his big start in today's 3-0 win over Western Michigan.

(With a special guest appearance from yesterday's starter, @m_jacob33) pic.twitter.com/kthLjOhl5B
— Toledo Baseball (@ToledoBaseball) March 24, 2018

How it Happened

The Rockets scored the first run of the game in the top of the third. Gose led off with a bunt single and moved over to second on senior Matt Hansen's sacrifice bunt. Servello drove Gose home with an RBI single to right field to give UT a 1-0 lead.
Shutes was dealing from the very first inning. The senior retired the first 11 batters he faced before allowing a double in the bottom of the fourth. Unfazed, he struck out the next batter he faced to end the inning.
Toledo was the beneficiary of two costly WMU errors in the top of the sixth. A probable double play and a routine fly ball to center field were both misplayed by Western Michigan. Senior Brad Boss made the Broncos pay with a bases-loaded single through the right side that brought in the Rockets' second run of the day.
UT was much better offensively on Saturday, loading the bases in the fourth, sixth, and seventh innings.
When Shutes came out for the eighth inning it was the first time in his career he had done so. It wasn't until then that he walked his first batter of the game, and he followed that up by striking out the next batter on three pitches.
Gose added an insurance run in the top of the ninth. His fly ball to center field was deep enough to allow freshman Trace Hatfield to score easily from third and make the score 3-0.
The Rockets ran into a bit of trouble in the bottom of the ninth. The Broncos loaded the bases with one out, but Haugh came into the game and forced a 4-6-3 double play to end the game.