TOLEDO, OH - Jillian Spink homered and drove in three runs, including the game-winning score in the bottom of the seventh, to help lead Toledo past Eastern Michigan 6-5 in game one of a doubleheader Friday at Scott Park.
In game two, UT led 6-4 entering the sixth but could not protect its lead, falling 12-7 to its MAC West foe.
Spink had three hits and five RBI in the twinbill, while Kate Ricchio went 4-for-6 with four RBI and two runs scored.
The Rockets (7-22, 1-1 MAC) entered the seventh with a 5-2 lead in the first game, but the Eagles tied it with a three-run homer. EMU (9-15, 1-1) put the go-ahead run on second with a one-out double, but Hannah Rockhold was able to work out of further trouble by recording the final two outs.
Sam Toy led off the Toledo seventh with a walk, and advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches. With one out, Spink laced a single back up the middle to easily score Toy and lift the Rockets to their second walkoff win of the season.
UT jumped to a 3-0 lead in the early innings thanks to Ricchio's hot bat. The Racine, WI native brought home Brooke Gates in the first with a single, and her two-run double down the right field line in the second scored McKenna Smith and Lindsey Tobias.
The Eagles struck back with single runs in the third and fifth to cut Toledo's lead to 3-2. But after Ricchio led off the bottom of the fifth with her second double of the day, Spink launched a two-run shot to left, her fourth homer of the season.
Tobias had two hits and two steals in the opener. The Rockets had 11 hits, marking the 10th time this season UT has been in double figures. UT also stole a season-high five bases.
Toledo entered game two with visions of a sweep to begin their conference slate, but Eastern Michigan pounded out 17 hits and took advantage of several Rocket miscues in the field to earn the split.
EMU got on the board first with a solo shot in the top of the second, but UT's bats quickly came alive in the third. Audrey Harner doubled deep to left, and came in to score on Toy's basehit. Then, with two outs, Spink smacked a single to center to plate both Toy and Gates to make it 3-1.
The Rockets gave away three runs in the fourth, as two errors helped propel EMU to a 4-3 lead. Once again, though, UT seemed to have the answer, tallying three runs of its own in the fifth. Gates and Toy began the inning with back-to-back doubles, Mica Sanchez had an RBI single, and Lacey LeVier was plunked by a pitch with the bases loaded to account for the Rockets' scoring.
But Eastern Michigan struck the decisive blow in the sixth, scoring six runs on seven hits as the Eagles batted around. Two Rocket errors also helped advance runners early in the inning as EMU built a 10-6 lead.
Ricchio's RBI single in the bottom of the inning temporarily quelled the momentum, but Toledo could draw no closer as Eastern Michigan plated two more runs in the seventh.
Toy and Sanchez led Toledo with two hits apiece in the second game. The seven runs scored pushed Toledo's season total to 126, which is seven more runs than the team scored in 46 games in 2009.
Ricchio became the sixth player on the team to reach double-figures in RBI as she now has 11 on the season.
Toledo continues its homestand with a single game against Central Michigan at 2 p.m. Saturday, and UT also hosts the Chippewas at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Contact: Scott Miles
scott.miles@utoledo.edu
