BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Toledo and Samford faced off in non-conference baseball action on Saturday and the Rockets came up on the losing end of a 4-1 decision.
The Rockets (15-19) and Bulldogs (20-15) both saw solid pitching on Saturday, but UT was unable to get much going on the offensive end. Samford scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth and a run in the sixth, which proved to be enough to win game two of the series.
"I thought Jack Walker and Nathan Leininger both threw the ball pretty well today," head coach Rob Reinstetle said. "That's two solid games on the mound for us against a pretty good hitting team. Unfortunately, their pitching has bottled up our offense thus far, it's been tough sledding for us in the batter's box. The offense has been a strength for us all year and we'll need them to get going tomorrow if we want to have a shot to win the game."
Walker struck out seven in 4.2 innings, one off his season-high strikeout total of eight. Leininger was effective out of the bullpen, allowing just one run in 3.1 innings of work.
Sophomore Brayden White drove in the lone Rocket run on Saturday and went 2-for-4 at the plate.
The Rockets and Bulldogs will conclude their series on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
How it Happened
- Freshman Troy Sudbrook led off the top of the fourth inning with a 13-pitch walk and later scored on Brayden White's RBI single to give Toledo a 1-0 lead.
- Samford put up a crooked number in the bottom of the fifth, scoring three runs to take a 3-1 lead. All three runs came with two outs, two coming in on Jayden Davis' two-run double.
- John Anderson led off the bottom of the sixth with a home run to put the Bulldogs ahead, 4-1.
- Brian Fry led off the top of the eighth with a double to get a runner in scoring position, and advanced to third on a sac bunt, but the Rockets couldn't bring him in.
- Toledo was sent down in order in the top of the ninth to end the game.
