Kissimmee, Fla.— The Toledo baseball team fell to Iowa in its season opener on Friday night, 4-3. The Rockets were felled by a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth by the Hawkeyes.
 
Toledo led for much of the game, going up 2-0 in the top of the third inning. Iowa got one of those runs back in the bottom of the fourth, but the Rockets reclaimed a two-run advantage the very next inning. UT led until there was one out in the bottom of the ninth, when Iowa's Ben Norman singled through the right side to drive in the tying and winning run.
 
Junior Michael Jacob, making his first-career start, was terrific. He threw seven innings of one-run ball, striking out seven and walking just one, in addition to working himself out of a couple jams. He started the night throwing bullets, striking out the side in the top of the first.
 
How it happened:

• Toledo's first runs of the game came in the top of the third inning thanks to an Iowa error. Senior Dalton Bollinger's deep fly ball to right field was dropped, allowing freshman John Servello and junior Ross Adolph to score.
• Jacob, who was perfect through his first 3.2 innings, gave up his first hit of the night in the bottom of the fourth. That Hawkeye would come around to score on a single through the left side of the infield, making the score 2-1.
• The Rockets answered in the top of the fifth on an RBI single from Bollinger, with Adolph crossing home plate for the second time. After five frames UT led 3-1.
• Jacob was able to maneuver himself out of two tough spots to keep Toledo ahead. With men on second and third in the bottom of the fifth he forced a ground out to end the inning, and with two runners on in the bottom of the seventh he fanned his seventh victim of the night to get out of the jam.
• Sophomore Austin Calopietro entered in the bottom of the eighth, getting Iowa to ground into a 5-4-3 double play before surrendering a home run to Robert Neustrom, making the score 3-2.
• Bollinger made an excellent pick at first base to end the eighth inning and senior Brad Boss threw out a runner at the plate from left field in the ninth to keep Toledo ahead. The Rockets had a good, error-free night, highlighted by those two plays.
• With the bases loaded, Iowa's Norman drove in two runs for the walk-off win.

Next up for Toledo is a Saturday doubleheader. The Rockets will face Saint Louis at 3:00 p.m. before a 6:30 affair against Pittsburgh. Sophomore Layne Schnitz-Paxton will take the bump in game one for UT and freshman Kyle Bischoff will make his collegiate debut in game two.