University of Toledo
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WESTERN MICHIGAN
Toledo Succumbs to Western Michigan in Series Opener, 6-5
4/20/2007 12:00:00 PM | Baseball
Final Stats
KALAMAZOO, MI - Western Michigan claimed a 6-5 victory over Toledo in Friday's Mid-American Conference series opener at Hyames Field. The Broncos scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning on a RBI single by Eric Simcox to hand the Rockets their second one-run loss in the last three games. The Midnight Blue and Gold also surrendered a run in its final at-bat at Notre Dame on Tuesday and sustained an 8-7 setback.
Senior RHP Matt Meinberg (0-1), the third of four UT pitchers utilized this afternoon, was tagged with the loss. Meinberg faced only one batter in the ninth and gave up a single to WMU's Matt Abro, who came around to score the eventual game-winning run.
The Rockets (16-16, 7-6 MAC) were limited to a MAC-season tying low seven hits offensively against the Broncos Ethan Hollingsworth and Derek Schlecker (2-2). This marked the third-straight contest UT was held under double digits for hits.
Western Michigan (12-18, 5-5 MAC) struck first blood in the second frame on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Kevan Hess. The first two Broncos collected singles off UT junior starter Kyle Rawlings, before Hess lifted a fly ball to right field just deep enough to score the game's first run.
The Rockets countered with two run in the top of the third to take a 2-1 advantage. The visitors were aided by two costly WMU errors in the frame and captured its first lead of the game.
The score remained the same until the bottom of the sixth when the Broncos exploded for four runs to take a 5-2 lead. WMU sent nine batters to the plate in the inning and collected four hits to end the afternoon for Rawlings. After the UT hurler recorded the first out, the next seven Western Michigan hitters reached base and the first four crossed the plate to establish a three-run cushion.
Toledo responded with a run in its next at-bat on a groundout by freshman Ryan Satterlee to cut the deficit to 5-3. Junior Sean Boley, who finished with a pair of hits, led off with a double and sophomore Jake Oester struck out, but the ball eluded the WMU catcher on the third strike to put runners on first and third base with no outs. Satterlee then grounded into a double play up the middle, which brought home Boley to make it a two-run contest.
The Rockets struck again in the eighth behind a RBI off the bat freshman Josh Johnson to make it a one-run contest. Junior Jake Swint started the rally by reaching base on the third WMU error of the afternoon. Classmate Scott Boley followed with a double off the wall in leftfield to put two runners in scoring position, before Johnson grounded out to tally his 13th RBI of the season.
Toledo completed the comeback in the top of the ninth and scored a big run to knot the score at 5-5 off Schlecker. UT's Sean Boley was hit by a pitch to begin the inning and was pinch run for by freshman Tim Krofcheck to put more speed on the bases. Oester followed a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt to advance Krofcheck into scoring position, before Swint laced a line drive off the WMU third basemen to allow Krofcheck to score the equalizer all the way from second base.
The two teams will continue their three-game series tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.
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