University of Toledo
EASTERN MICHIGAN
Toledo Splits Doubleheader at Eastern Michigan
4/26/2003 12:00:00 PM | Baseball
YPSILANTI, MI - Toledo (15-21, 3-12 MAC) split its doubleheader this afternoon at Eastern Michigan (17-20, 8-7 MAC) in Oestrike Stadium. The Rockets registered a 8-7 victory in the nightcap after dropping a 4-1 decision in the opener.
In the nightcap, Toledo scored three runs in the ninth off EMU reliever Ross Winiemko to salvage the split. Senior Taylor Eckel led off the frame with a single followed by back-to-back walks by junior Mitch Maier and senior Phil Pilewski to load the bases. Sophomore Dan Ruth then hit a grounder to EMU first basemen Luke Beeler, who entered the game in the ninth as a defensive replacement, which found its way through his legs allowing two runs to score and Pilewski to take third. Freshman Dan Stong then lifted a sacrifice fly to left to bring home Pilewski for the eventual game-winning run.
Sophomore Kurt Woeste (1-4) pitched the final 1.2 innings of scoreless relief work for the Midnight Blue and Gold to pick up his first win of the season.
Toledo jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in its first at-bat on a RBI single to left by Maier. Junior Sean Dobson led off the game with a double down the right field line. He advanced to third on a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt by Eckel and scored on Maier's team-leading 43rd RBI.
EMU scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the first on a sacrifice fly by Derrick Peterson and a two-out single by Ryan Arnett off UT starter Shawn Hurst to take a 2-1 lead.
Toledo retallied with two runs in the third on four-consecutive singles to take a 3-2 advantage. Collecting RBI's in the frame were Pilewski and Ruth.
After EMU tied the score at 3-3 in the fourth inning, Toledo regained the lead in the fifth frame on a sacrifice fly by Ruth, scoring J.D. Foust who led off the inning with a double.
Back-and-back the team's went again as Eastern Michigan retook the lead 5-4 in the sixth on a double down the left field line by Tim Clouse scoring Ryan Ford and Ryan Arnett, who led off the frame with back-to-back bunt singles.
Toledo again tied the score at 5-5 in the eighth on an RBI single by junior Aaron Rouser. Ruth led off the inning with a two-base error by EMU second basemen Tony Palazzolo. After advancing to third on the groundout, Ruth came home on a single up the middle by Rouser.
Eastern Michigan scored two runs in the eighth to make the score 7-5 and set the stage for a dramatic finish. EMU's Ryan Ford led off the frame with a single. After advancing to second on a past ball by the Ruth, Arnett attempted to sacrifice bunt to try and advance Ford to third, but Hurst's throw to third was wild allowing the first run to score. EMU tallied its final run on a RBI by Clouse.
Rouser led the Rockets offensively going 3-for-5 with a RBI, while Maier and Foust pounded out two hits apiece.
In the first game, EMU hurler Anthony Tomey (4-3) stymied the Rockets' bats tossing a three-hit complete game, to go along with five strikeouts.
EMU scored two runs in its first at-bat off UT starter Brian Kovacs (0-3) on a two-run single to right by Tim Clouse. Kovacs (0-3), who was tagged with the loss, had trouble finding the plate yielding two runs on four walks in one-plus inning of work.
The Eagles increased their lead to 3-0 in the second tallying an unearned run. With a runner on second, EMU's Tony Palazzo singled up the middle. UT centerfielder Dobson came home with the throw trying to erase the EMU runner. At the same time, Palazzolo attempted to take second. UT catcher Mitch Maier's throw to second sailed over the head of UT second basemen Eckel to plate the game's third run.
EMU finished off its scoring in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Brian Bixler to make it 4-0.
Toledo scored its lone run in the seventh on a RBI single up the middle by Dobson. Dobson (2-for-4, one RBI) was the lone Rocket collecting a multi-hit contest in the first game.
The two teams will wrap up their four-game series tomorrow, April 27 with a single game starting at 1:00 p.m.
