TOLEDO, OH – Toledo extended its winning streak to 12 games on Friday afternoon with a doubleheader sweep of Mid-American Conference foe Ball State at Scott Park.  The Rockets edged the Cardinals by a 2-1 margin in the opener before notching a 5-0 triumph in the nightcap.

Senior RHP Marla Gooding (17-15) pitched magnificently in the circle in the sweep as she hurled all 14 innings in the circle. In the nightcap, she didn't allow the Cardinals to register a hit until the fifth inning en route to a three-hit shutout. With Friday's doubleheader in the books, Gooding is now Toledo's all-time career leader in pitching appearances with 135.

The two victories evened the Rockets' conference record at 11-11 and improved UT's overall ledger to 20-31. Ball State dropped to 22-31 overall and 8-15 in league play. Toledo can secure a spot in the MAC Tournament with a victory over the Cardinals tomorrow or a Buffalo or Central Michigan defeat. The Bulls are hosting Miami in a doubleheader, while the Chippewas will play a single game at Northern Illinois.

"I am extremely proud of our team," said head coach Kristen Butler. "We've kept to what we've been focusing so hard on for the past three weeks, which is playing one pitch at a time. That is exactly what we are going to do again tomorrow."

The two teams will wrap up their three-game series tomorrow with a single game starting at 1:00 p.m. The Rockets will honor their three seniors in a post-game ceremony.

GAME ONE
Junior C Kaitlyn Bergman's two-out solo homer in the bottom of the fourth inning proved to be the difference in the Rockets' 2-1 victory over the Cardinals in the first game.

Gooding scattered six hits in her complete-game effort, allowing just one run with no walks and four strikeouts.

Toledo scored the game's first run in the third inning when senior LF Sammy Emery's squeeze bunt plated sophomore CF Ashley Rausch.

Ball State answered in the top of the fourth on senior 2B Selena Reyna's two-out RBI single.

Following Bergman's homer, the Cardinals' biggest threat came when they put two runners on in the fifth but couldn't score. Gooding allowed just one baserunner in the final two innings. 

GAME TWO
Junior 2B Chandler Rice (2-for-3) and junior 3B Brittany George (2-for-3) were the impact hitters in game two. Rice tallied two RBI with a run scored and George notched a RBI.

The Rockets broke open the game with some clutch two-out hitting in the third inning. Rice's single down the right-field line scored the game's first two runs.  Sophomore 1B Samantha Showalter's double to left-center accounted for a third run and George's single down the left-field line plated UT's fourth run of the frame.

Senior RF Jessica Lemieux tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the fourth when she sliced a double down the left-field line.