NASHVILLE, Tenn.— The Toledo baseball team fell to Belmont on Tuesday, 8-7.

The Rockets jumped out to an early 6-0 lead, scoring four in the top of the second and two in the top of the third. But the Bruins chipped away at Toledo's lead in the middle innings, eventually tying the game at 7-7 in the bottom of the seventh. With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Belmont's Tommy Crider singled up the middle to drive in the winning run, handing Toledo its fifth walk-off loss of the season.

Junior Chris Meyers started on the mound for the Rockets and was spectacular, throwing two perfect innings and striking out five. Meyers walked twice and drove in a pair of runs at the plate as well. Senior Michael Ryan started his first game behind the plate since Opening Day and went 2-for-4 with a home run. Sophomore Darryn Davis had his 20-game hitting streak snapped, but he still reached base three times (one walk, two HBP) to ensure his on-base streak reached 21 games.

"Tonight we let another one slip away from us in the later innings and got walked off for the fifth time this year," head coach Rob Reinstetle said. "It's not that we have played badly, we just haven't played good enough to win. We get out of the gates really well on offense and build nice leads only to see them dwindle down at the end. We are so very close to figuring this thing out. It's a pitch here or there on the mound to put a hitter away, a timely hit to extend the lead, or making just one more play in field that has eluded us all season. Unfortunately all those little things add up to a big thing, losing a baseball game. When we play a full nine  innings like we are capable of, we can beat anyone on our schedule. I will say this about this team, they play hard every day. We just have to play better."

Toledo will play at No. 6 Vanderbilt on Wednesday. The game has been moved up to 5:00 p.m. CT/6:00 p.m. ET due to potential inclement weather in the Nashville area. The game will still be streamed live on SEC Network+.

How it Happened

• The Rockets put up a crooked number in the top of the second, scoring four runs to take an early lead. Davis forced a bases-loaded walk and Meyers ripped a two-run single into right field, then Davis later scored on a double steal to make it 4-0. With Meyers and Davis standing at the corners, Meyers took off for second on a double steal and slid in safely before the throw, allowing Davis to score easily.
• Meyers was excellent on the mound, striking out five across two scoreless innings. He struck out the side in the top of the first and K'd the last two batters he faced in the second.
• Toledo added two runs in the top of the third to take a 6-0 lead. Ryan and junior Nicky Winterstein doubled in runs to push the Rockets' lead to six.
• Belmont scored twice with two outs in the bottom of the fourth to cut into Toledo's lead and make the score 6-2.
• Ryan's opposite field home run in the top of the fifth pushed the Rockets' lead to 7-2.
• The Bruins did more two-out damage in the bottom of the sixth. A bases-loaded double hit deep to left field scored two runs and cut Toledo's lead to three, 7-4.
• Belmont tied the game at 7-7 in the bottom of the seventh. The first two hitters of the inning reached base and later scored on a double deep to left field to put the Bruins within one. The tying run came in to score on a wild pitch.
• Belmont's John Behrends led off the bottom of the ninth with a base hit, stole second base, and scored easily on Crider's single to center field to score the game-winning run.