Toledo, Ohio— On the last day of the regular season, the Toledo baseball team posted two shutouts in a doubleheader against Bowling Green to complete the series sweep and keep its MAC Tournament hopes alive. UT won game one by a score of 4-0 and took game two, 3-0.

Senior Sam Shutes and junior Michael Jacob pitched back-to-back complete game shutouts for Toledo on Friday and the two pitchers helped UT close the weekend with 21 straight scoreless innings. Shutes was remarkable in game one, allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out nine. He retired the final 17 batters he faced, six of which came via the strikeout. Jacob was just as amazing on the mound, striking out eight and allowing six hits without walking a single batter. It was the first complete game for either pitcher in their respective careers.

Prior to Friday, the last complete game shutout by a Rocket was on May 10, 2014 against Western Michigan; Ryan Wilkinson accomplished that feat in game one of a doubleheader against the Broncos. The last time Toledo posted consecutive shutouts was April 18-19, 2015 against Northern Illinois.

After the second game, the Rockets honored their eight seniors: Dalton Bollinger, Casey Gose, Matt Hansen, AJ Montoya, Sam Shutes, Nolan Silberhorn, Corey Tipton, and Alex Wagner.

Toledo will now wait for results to roll in from the rest of the MAC this weekend to see if it will be making a trip to Avon, Ohio for the MAC Tournament. If Eastern Michigan loses on Friday evening or Saturday, or if Western Michigan loses on Saturday, the Rockets are in.

Game one: Toledo 4, Bowling Green 0

How it Happened

• Bowling Green put two runners on base in the first inning, one by walk and one on a single through the left side of the infield. Both runners reached with two outs and it would be the most offensively productive inning for BGSU in game one.
• For the second straight game, the Rockets scored four runs in the bottom of the first against the Falcons. UT tallied five hits in its first trip to the plate with RBI singles being recorded by Boss, Hatfield, and Meyers. Montoya tacked on a sacrifice fly to give Toledo the big early lead.
• The Falcons led off the top of the fourth with a single up the middle for their second and final hit of the game. The next hitter rolled into a picture perfect 6-4-3 double play, and the final batter of the inning struck out looking.
• The punchout to end the fourth frame was the first of five straight for Shutes, who struck out the side in the fifth and sent the leadoff hitter in the sixth down on strikes.
• Brad Boss ended the game on an exciting note, making a spectacular diving catch to record the 27th out of Shutes' complete game shutout.
• At the plate junior Ross Adolph, Bollinger, and Boss all had two hits in game one of the twin bill.

Game two: Toledo 3, Bowling Green 0

How it Happened

• Toledo once again jumped out in front of Bowling Green, scoring twice in the bottom of the first. With the bases loaded, Bollinger tapped a grounder towards the second baseman, who threw the ball away and allowed Hansen and freshman John Servello to score on the play.
• Jacob was electric from the first pitch. He struck out the first two batters he faced and recorded two punchouts in each of his first three innings of work.
• The junior pitcher worked his way out of trouble in the third inning. BGSU had the bases loaded with one out and Jacob tallied a strike out and forced a harmless fly out to end the frame.
• The Falcons managed just two baserunners in innings four through eight, courtesy of a UT error and a hit by pitch.
• Toledo scored in the bottom of the seventh to make it 3-0. With runners on second and third, Servello's base hit eked through the left side of the infield and scored freshman Chris Meyers.
• Bowling Green made one last effort to send a run across the plate in the top of the ninth. Two base hits had runners on first and third, but Jacob got the final out of the game on a 3-2 strikeout to complete his complete game shutout.
• Servello went 3-for-4 at the plate in game two.