University of Toledo
Ball State
Rockets Rally for 8-7 Win Over Ball State to Earn No. 3 Seed in MAC Tournament
5/22/2010 9:40:00 PM | Baseball
TOLEDO, OH - Toledo capped off its regular season with a dramatic come-from-behind 8-7 triumph over Ball State on Saturday afternoon at Scott Park. The victory moved the Rockets (33-20, 19-8 MAC) into a second-place tie with the Cardinals (28-27, 19-8 MAC) in the MAC's West Division, one game behind division champ Central Michigan (33-20, 20-7 MAC).
UT will be the No. 3 seed in next week's Mid-American Conference Tournament in Chillicothe, OH and meet No. 6 seed Miami (28-26, 13-14 MAC) in the first round on Wednesday, May 26. The time for the contest will be announced on Monday. The other matchups are No. 1 Central Michigan vs. No. 8 Ohio, No. 2 Kent State vs. No. 7 Eastern Michigan and No. 4 Ball State vs. No. 5 Bowling Green.
Senior 2B Tim Krofcheck led the Rockets offensively with three hits, including a key solo homer leading off the ninth inning. Junior CF Jared Hoying (2-for-4, HR, 2 runs) and senior LF Josh Wierzba (2-for-3) also posted two-hit outings as part of UT's 13-hit attack. In addition, junior SS Chris Dudics extended his MAC-record hitting streak to 37 games with an eighth-inning single, and Hoying's homer was his 14th to tie classmate Dan Sherwood and Mitch Maier (2002) for the second-most roundtrippers in a season in school history. Mike Ernst holds the school mark with 15 in the 2000 campaign.
Junior Kolbrin Vitek paced Ball State with a 3-for-5 effort at the plate with two homers and four RBI. He also threw five innings and allowed six hits and three runs (one earned) as the Cardinals' starting pitcher.
Senior Mike Inselmann (4-1) picked up the win in relief for the Rockets, while junior Derek Grabner (4-3) was the losing pitcher.
Toledo's game winning rally began when Krofcheck led off the ninth with a homer over the left-center field wall. Hoying followed with a walk and advanced to second base on a wild pitch. Sophomore 3B Joe Corfman then laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt that senior C Zach Dygert threw down the right-field line to score Hoying. Corfman advanced all the way to third base when freshman RF Blake Beemer threw wildly to second. Senior C Aaron Dudley and sophomore DH Matt Delewski were then intentionally walked to load the bases. After Sherwood reached on a fielder's choice that cut down Corfman at the plate, junior 1B Jim Vahalik delivered the winning run with a sacrifice fly to right field.
UT had trailed 7-3 entering the eighth following Vitek's solo homer in the sixth and a three-run blast in the eighth. The Rockets then cut their deficit in half on a Vahalik sacrifice fly and sophomore Jeff Cola's pinch-hit single to center.
Toledo broke through for the first run of the game in the fourth inning when Hoying launched a solo shot over the right-field fence. UT then took advantage of a fielding miscue when two runs scored on junior SS T.J. Baumet's misplay of a high fly ball to shallow left field.
Ball State quickly answered back when sophomore CF Cody Elliott blasted a three-run homer to centerfield to knot the contest. The next two batters then reached base before freshman Cody Umbright escaped without any further damage. Sophomore starter Lincoln Rassi had entered the fifth frame with a no-hitter and finished his day with three runs and three runs allowed in 4.1 innings.
