MUNCIE, IN - Toledo notched a doubleheader split against Ball State on Friday in Mid-American Conference action at the Ball Diamond. The Rockets emerged victorious in the nightcap, 2-1, after suffering an 8-3 loss in the opener. With the twinbill split, UT's record now stands at 26-26 overall and 15-11 in league action.
History was made in today's second game as senior INF Chris Dudics pounded out a pair of singles and became Toledo's career leader with 251 hits, surpassing former All-American Sean Dobson (249, 2001-04).
In the first contest, the Cardinals' tallied seven of their eight runs over the opening three innings to coast to the five-run victory.
Toledo junior RHP Lincoln Rassi (3-6) was saddled with the loss, yielding seven runs on 10 hits with a career-high eight punchouts in 5.0 frames.
BSU (14-35, 10-15 MAC) jumped out to an early lead on Rassi and the Rockets with four tallies in its initial plate appearance. The home team took advantage of a two-run triple off the bat of Sean Godfrey and run-scoring hits from Tim Issler and Blake Beemer to assume a bulge it would not relinquish.
After Ball State extended its lead with another tally in the second inning, Toledo broke through with a pair of runs in the third. The Rockets quickly loaded the bases and utilized a sacrifice fly off the bat of junior OF Ben Hammer and a run-scoring fielder's choice by junior INF Matt Delewski to cut the deficit to three runs.
Unfortunately for the Midnight Blue & Gold, the Cardinals countered with a two-run double by Cody Elliott in the bottom of the third inning to make the score 7-2.
Junior OF Jeff Cola (2-for-3, RS, RBI) paced Toledo with two hits.
Cal Bowling tossed his league-leading fourth complete game of the season to guide the home squad to the opening-game triumph. The right-handed pitcher Bowling (5-5) limited Toledo to five hits with a pair of strikeouts. Offensive for BSU, Beemer and Issler posted three hits each.
In the nightcap, Toledo RHP Jared Locke (3-2) was outstanding over the opening 6.0 frames to earn the triumph, yielding one run on six hits with a pair of strikeouts.
Junior RHP Alex Radon came on in relief of Locke and worked the next 2.0 scoreless innings, before senior RHP Matt Zahel tossed a perfect ninth frame to collect his team-high 11th save of the season.
Offensively, junior C Jim Vahalik (3-for-4) and sophomore OF Tyler Grogg (3-for-4) finished with three hits apiece to fuel the UT attack, while sophomore INF Wes White (2-for-4, RBI) and Dudics registered multi-hit efforts in the road victory.
UT opened the scoring in the top of the second inning. Vahalik led off the frame with a single and moved into scoring position after a hit by pitch. White then put Toledo in front 1-0 as he poked a single through the left side to plate the Rockets' catcher with the game's first run.
Toledo extended its margin to 2-0 with another tally in the fifth. Dudics and Grogg posted back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners with two outs. Hammer then came through with a run-scoring double to plate Dudics with the game's eventual winning run.
Ball State cut the Rockets' lead in half in the bottom of the fifth inning on a run-scoring triple off the bat of Cody Campbell.
Toledo threatened in the ninth frame to add an insurance run as Dudics reached on a single up the middle to end BSU LHP Derek Grabner's afternoon. BSU's Michael Sandman came on in relief and allowed an infield single to Grogg to put a pair of runners on base. The Cardinals' defense then came up big and C Kevin Franchetti threw out Dudics on the front end of a double steal attempt for the second out and Sandman recorded a strikeout to end the threat and keep it a one-run contest.
BSU's Grabner (1-6) was charged with the loss, pitching a career-high 8.1 innings in his final collegiate start. He allowed just two runs on 11 hits while striking out five batters in the setback.
The two teams will play the rubber match in the series and close out the regular season tomorrow, beginning at 1:00 p.m. Freshman RHP Cameron Palmer is slated to get the start for the Rockets in the finale.
